Archive for seo

03 Oct 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business

What Is The Expected ROI From Your Internet Marketing?


I just finished reading an entry at a social media site from an Internet Marketer who had recently left his employer because the ROI wasn’t what the employer had expected.  The Internet marketer was using SEO (search engine optimization), social media marketing (via Twitter and Facebook) and blogging.  These three factors put the site in the top positions for multiple keyword phrases in Google.  They were averaging 2 sales per day from his efforts.

So, you may be thinking to yourself…”Well, what did the employer expect?”…

Well, that’s the question, isn’t it?  I mean, did the Internet marketer give him any ideas of what may be expected?  I have to wonder if the Internet marketer was reporting the number of visitors to the site and THEN talking about the sales.  It may be that the number of visitors wasn’t changing much and the employer may have been focusing on that number.  It can happen!

Why shouldn’t you focus on the number of website visitors?

For businesses that are local and specialized, like lawyers, dentists, specialty doctors, etc.  The numbers of visitors to these types of sites will not alter much unless the geography they are in alters.  Think about it, if your a family dentist living in Denver, Colorado – there are approximately 600,000 people living in Denver.  That’s your pool.  You’re not going to attract people from Colorado Springs or from Breckenridge or Steamboat Springs – you’re ONLY relevant to the folks in the Denver area.  And even with that said, it’s really only on the side of town that your office is in.  So, the number of visitors to your site will cap at some point (unless a new community or area is opened up in your geography and more people move in).

So, what’s the point of marketing if there’s a cap in the visitors?

It’s the sales – sales – sales!!!!  If you are marketing your website to 600,000 people and you’re getting 1% of those visiting your website and 5% of the visitors convert into customers your goal (and the goal of your Internet marketer) is to increase that 5% to more and more.  You’re still getting the same number of visitors but now you want to convert those visitors into customers.  It doesn’t help to have more people come to the website if you can’t convert them.

So focus on the number of conversions – if your Internet marketer isn’t giving you reports on your conversions – ask them to start.  It’s the true measure of the success or failure of your Internet marketing campaign .


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26 Sep 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business

Really, Really, Really Comprehensive SEO


As I was having my breakfast this morning I was catching up on the latest SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and Internet Marketing news. I came across this little gem…

“Ten years ago, the SEO process included a monthly analysis, recommendation and implementation plan; a purely human-based process. This is no longer enough. Businesses need daily insight into their digital footprint: rank, competitors, backlinking. This is only possible when humans and technology come together. SEO software systems are now available and make this insight possible.”
From The Globe and Mail

I have to admit, I still do the monthly plan.  Hmm – but this gives me food for thought.  I mean, I look at client websites everyday – so maybe I SHOULD give daily reports?  I’m conflicted cause, as it is, the monthly information seems overwhelming to some business owners.  I can’t imagine how they would react if they start getting daily data from me.  But then, maybe I’m underestimating my clients.

And what about the time?  How can I squeeze more tasks into my day and keep my prices low?  The article talks about “seo software systems” – which are great for analysis but that means more cost.  Ugh – decisions!

Well, as I think about that concept here’s my idea of what I think would be important daily factors for my clients to know.

1) Social media mentions – this would be important to monitor daily.  What is being said about you (and/or) the company or brand?  Maybe nothing is being said, well, that’s not so good either.  These days, the “word of mouth” concept has grown to include referrals and recommendations from programs like Yelp, Facebook, Google Maps, Foursquare, etc.  These are all social media type of programs that can promote your business.

2) Competition Analysis – you may not think that the landscape of search results changes much, but believe me, it does.  There are websites out there that get updated every few hours.  That means new data is added or removed from the site, it’s a constant factor.  Why?  Well, for a few reasons.  For the search engines, it means that the website is getting updated, it’s being used and it is popular.  For the Internet viewer it means that the business is alive and is working hard to keep their clients (and potential clients) well informed and up to date.  Think about it, when you do any kind of research on the Internet, which will you read first?  An article written in 2008 or an article written in 2011?  An article written last January or one written yesterday?  (as long as their both on the same subject!).  The Internet is today’s newspaper, who wants to read yesterdays news when today’s newspaper is sitting in the driveway?

3) Backlinks – who’s linking to you?  Years ago it used to be the number of incoming links was important.  Today, it’s not the number but where the incoming link is coming from and what that incoming link is saying.  If your a plumber and your website gets an incoming link from Angie’s List and the text on that incoming link is a positive review, that’s GREAT!  But what if you get an incoming link from Service Magic and they reviewed your business and gave you a 1 star rating.  That’s not great!  But wouldn’t it be cool to know that right away so you can respond to it?  Possibly correct it?

4) Search Engine Ranking – don’t get fooled by any marketer who tells you that it’s important to monitor your search engine rankings.  The reality is, that the majority of Internet users are on Google and Google implements “personalization” into it’s search results which means that your search results will be different that the search results for the same keyword phrases that your neighbor types in.  It all depends on the history that is on your computer (what sites you’ve visited in the past) and some other factors but it’s safe to say, that your search results could show you in the first position and your neighbor (if he types in the same keyword phrases) may not see your listing on the first page at all.  So, rankings don’t really matter.

5) Traffic – this is another tricky measurement.  I mean every business has their ups and downs so measuring traffic daily is like watching the stock market hourly.  It’s going to go down, the trick is to identify if it’s a pattern.  So, does it need to be done daily?  Not so much in my opinion.  But, it may also depend on the business that the website is promoting.  I suppose this feature would have to be individualized.

So, what do you think?  Would YOU want to receive a daily report from your Internet marketer?  If so, how would you want to receive it?  As an email?  As a PDF?  Or would you prefer to just go somewhere online and see it?  And what information would you like to see in that report?  Let me know!  It just might be something we start offering.

 



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05 Aug 2011
internet marketing • seo • social media

Google Real Time and Social Media


So, are you ready for even MORE information overload? Are you not happy with how quickly your news is updated on your computer screen?

Well, Google is bringing back “Real Time Search” which gives you, the User, the opportunity to search through social media programs like Twitter, Google+, etc. for whatever it is that you’re looking for.

As for it’s impact on marketing, well, for me, as an Internet Marketer, I won’t have to search on separate screens on Twitter or Facebook for information. All the information will show up on the Google screen.

Hmm – they really are taking over the world, aren’t they?


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03 Aug 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business

Website Pages and Content


The best part about working with small and home based businesses is that I get to speak directly to the person in charge. It makes the entire marketing process so much easier.

The worst part about working with small and home based businesses is that sometimes I have to “convince” (or at least try to) the business owner that pages need content. Pretty pictures don’t sell on the Internet.

I just read this article from American Express about where to put keywords on a website page. The information is very elemental, I mean it’s Internet Marketing 101, maybe even pre-101 – but it does layout the very basics of how a search engine looks at a website page.

The article is called 8 Places to Use Your Keywords. If you’re a small business owner and want to try to understand this Internet Marketing thing, this is a good place to start.

Basically, if you keep in mind that a search engine is just a machine following sets of rules that are programmed into it. So, the program rule says that when someone types in a phrase like “where to put keywords” the “rule” is that the search engine has to find that phrase “where to put keywords” in those 8 places on a website page.

Keep in mind, this is very basic, there are other rules to follow (Google has about 200 of them) but the very basic rule is the placement of the keyword phrases. Of course, it also helps to know what people are typing in! (But that’s another story).

Anyway, if you’re debating with your Internet Marketer about the fact that they want to remove that large flash or graphic on your home page and replace it with something smaller and add more text to the page – this is why. They’re looking out for you. So listen!


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12 Jul 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business

Are You In Demand?


A little while ago I posted a story about a client who insisted on selling a product that did not have much demand. At least not much demand that I could see on the Internet. Several months after he started with me I received a letter from his attorney letting me know the company was going into bankruptcy.

I wasn’t surprised, I could see that no matter how much SEO or Internet marketing I did on that website, if the product isn’t in demand, it’s just not going to sell.

So, here’s a little tool that you can use, from Google, to help you identify what product(s) and/or service(s) that you provide are in demand and how they’ve changed in the last few years.

We’ll be using Google Insights For Search. Here are the steps.

1) Go to Google Insights For Search.

2) On the top left you’ll see a column called “Compare by” – choose the Time Ranges.

3) In the column of “Time Ranges” select separate time ranges or create a custom one like Jan 2009 til Jun 2011. Either way, choose the time ranges that you would like to see reports for.

4) On the top right you’ll see another column called “Filter”. In that column choose…
“Web Search”
“Your search term – what you’re looking for”
“United States” (or Worldwide if you prefer – or any country)
“All Categories”

5) A tip on entering your “Search Term” – use several different search terms. For example: If you’re a dentist, you’ll enter in search terms like…
a) denver dentist (whatever your location is)
b) family dentist
c) veneers

6) You’ll also find in the search results several keyword phrases that are associated with the term you typed in. These keyword phrases are important, they give you an idea of what people are looking for on the Internet. And depending on the geographical locations you choose, you will also be given information on where these searches are in demand.

So, let’s try a dry run here with a certain business. Lets try Family Law. So, lets say you’re a Family Law attorney in Florida. Let’s see how this tool can help with your Internet Marketing.

1) I went to Google Insights and chose the Time Ranges of Jan 2004 – Jun 2011.

2) I chose United States, Florida, All metros

3) I typed in the keyword phrase “family lawyer”

The results tell me that this service has an average interest range of “44″ – You’ll see that number just above the graph chart on the right. The column is called “Totals”.

This number of “44″ tells me it’s fairly steady and the chart verifies that. So, that’s good, people still need family lawyers.

4) I typed in the keyword phrase “prenuptial agreements” and the report shows me that 2007, 2009 and the first part of 2010 were very good years for this service but otherwise, it’s not a high selling service.

So, I think you get the idea. Play around with this tool, you may find a niche in your industry that you hadn’t thought about before! Have fun!


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10 Jul 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business • Uncategorized

Did You Know…


My mother in law has a plaque in her kitchen that reads “Babe Ruth Struck Out 1330 Times”. You probably know what I’m getting at. The idea is that even though he failed 1330 times, he kept on playing and became famous for it.

So, even though you may fail, doesn’t mean you’re a failure.

Did You Know…

That Yelp.com started out as an “automated system for emailing recommendations”. That idea flopped but what they did notice is that their visitors posted reviews online. They stuck it out with that idea and here they are.

That YouTube.com started out as a dating site? It failed in that venue but the founders decided to keep everything in place and just make it a “video sharing” site. We all know how that ended up!

That PayPal.com opened it’s company with the intention of exchanging money between Palm Pilots. They saw the potential for more and have never looked back.

That Woot.com was created to get rid of unsold inventory. But oh, it grew to become so much more!

Flickr actually began as an online role-playing game. Yep – it started out as a game. But the owners saw that their program simplified photo sharing so they dumped the first idea and went with what ended up being a highly successful program.

Groupon was a subset of a larger “idea” called The Point. The idea of The Point was to mobilize “…groups of people towards action for various causes.” The concept struck a nerve and became so popular that Groupon felt confident enough to turn down Google when they offered to buy out Groupon for 6 Billion!

So, I think you get the idea here. These companies began their journey down one road but were smart enough to realize that they needed to listen to the audience and respond. Which they did and the rest, as they say, is history.

There’s even more of this story at Mashable.


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16 Jun 2011
internet marketing • seo • small business

Keyword Themes – A Top SEO Technique


A Top SEO Technique is the use of Keyword Themes

I know that if you’ve been reading about Internet marketing you have a grasp on the concept that it’s all about the keywords. The words that you have on your website pages will make or break the success of the marketing campaign. I mean if you set up a website page to market a phrase that not many people are using, then the reality is that you’re going to get very little (if any) traffic. How can the search engines match the words on your website page with the words people are typing in if you don’t have the words people are typing in on your website page?

What I want to tell you about today is an SEO technique that has been around for many, many, many years. It’s been called many different things, silo, hierarchy, pyramid, etc. Just know that it’s basically the idea of getting ONE main keyword phrase, creating a page for it on the website and then creating OTHER pages for the semantic phrases to support this ONE main keyword phrase. It’s sort of like creating a chapter on your website JUST for this keyword phrase. I’ll give you an example of how it evolves.

Getting the Main Keyword Phrase

Just yesterday I was consulting with an Internet copywriter who was writing an article for a podiatrist. The podiatrist wanted to market the phrase “intoeing in children”. I didn’t know what that was so I typed it into the Google Adwords keyword tool and the more common term came up, which is “pigeon toed”. Of course, there were other variations but I bet as soon as you saw “pigeon toed” you knew what I was talking about – at least more than when I wrote “intoeing…”

This is a VERY common mistake. Professionals (like the doctor here) knows what the correct terms are and he’s been using those terms for so long, he’s forgotten that the typical guy on the Internet does NOT know that term. So, for the Internet copywriter, the important factor is to market the phrase that is most popular, which in this case was “pigeon toes in toddlers”.

Getting the Semantic Keyword Phrases

So now that you have the MAIN keyword phrase, you can create a website page JUST to market that keyword phrase. But, to help that one page get up in the search engines you will need other pages supporting it. These other pages are pages marketing semantic phrases.

What are semantic phrases? These are keyword phrases that the search engines believe are similar or involved with the main keyword phrase. It’s their way of helping to identify exactly what websites to bring up for your search. The important thing to remember is that the search engines want to bring up the best possible search results for the Internet user, the webmaster’s job is to create the website in such a way so that the search engines can identify this.

Well, enough of that. Here’s how you find semantic keyword phrases:

  • Go to Google (just the regular Google search page)
  • Type in your main phrase (the entire phrase)
  • On the left hand side you’ll see a line of text that says “Show search tools” (click on that). If you don’t see that line you might see a list of “Any time” and “All results”. You want to click on the line of text that reads “Related searches”.
  • You’ll then be taken to a page that has some columns of keyword phrases on top. It can be one column, two or three columns, it just depends on how many semantic phrases there are.
  • These columns of keyword phrases ARE the semantic phrases.
  • Jot them down somewhere.
  • Now do the same exact thing except this time with the main portion of the keyword phrase – for example: Our phrase was “pigeon toes in toddlers” – so first I typed in the entire phrase and made a note of the semantic phrases. Then I typed in “pigeon toes” and again, made a note of these semantic phrases.
  • From this list of semantic phrases – you want to use as many as you possibly can to create ONE additional page on your website to support your main page which is about “pigeon toes in toddlers”.
  • Of course, don’t forget to hyperlink the pages together.

So, you can see now how a website can grow and grow and grow! Now, if the search engines scan your website, what they will see is a page about “pigeon toes in toddlers” but they will also see that you have pages about “intoeing” and “pigeon toes in infants” and “pigeon toe symptoms” and “metatarsus adductus”. There will be no doubt in the “eyes” of the search engine that this website has the information that is relevant for that Internet user.

So get to it, make your website as relevant as possible!


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27 May 2011
business tips • seo • small business • social media

Lights – Camera – Action – The YouTube Angle


If you get monthly marketing reports from Eckweb then you know that we’ve been advising you to create videos.  Whether they’re videos of you talking, how-to type of videos, entertaining videos, whatever – aim the topic to what your audience is looking for and YouTube it!

An article from Mashable that I just read reports that “More than 48 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.”  Youtube is only 6 years old.  But the ease of use of its program coupled with the smart phone explosion has created the easiest method for anyone to put themselves “out there” on the Internet.

You may be thinking that with so many videos getting uploaded how can I possibly compete?  Who would want to see MY video?  Well, that’s why we always recommend to target the content of the video to what your audience is searching for.  The more niche, the better.  Get the keyword list of what is being typed in to the Internet from your SEO webmaster (or do it yourself if you know how) and get cracking!  (Well, get filming.)

Think you have to be a Spielberg prodigy to create a film?  Uh – not quite.  If you’re one of the few who don’t visit Youtube daily (youtube reports 3 billion views per day) and you’re not familiar with what’s on there here’s a little sampling for you to test out…

1) search your favourite hobby (anything from stamp collecting to bungy jumping)

2) search your favourite actor/actress/singer/entertainer

3) search anything with the word “funny” attached (i.e. – funny cats, funny cars, funny dances)

4) search for what’s on the news (i.e. – obama, palin, voting, egypt)

5) search for anything you’re wanting to know “how to do” (i.e. – how to paint cabinets, how to change the oil in a car, how to dance the tango)

You may be surprised at what you find.  The GREAT majority of Youtube videos are NOT professionally produced, meaning they are scripted, lighted, choreographed and filmed by an amateur, usually the person(s) you see on the video.  I’m sure once you see what Youtube has to offer, you will NOT be nervous about putting yourself on a video and begin to use the power that this search engine has gained in it’s 6 years of existence!

I look forward to seeing you there!


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25 May 2011
internet marketing • seo

Review of Article on SEO Tips


One of my favorite online reads is SEODesignSolutions.com – the articles they publish are so “to the point” and pragmatic that it’s refreshing! Anyway, Jeffrey Smith put together a great article on 20 SEO Tips You Either Forgot or Didn’t Know.
I thought this would be a great article to share with you.

Some of the “tips” on his list are…

#3 – After settling on the primary keyword, structure a hierarchy with the most competitive phrases (1-3MM competing pages in search engines) comprising the primary navigation and the more popular keywords (less than 1MM competing pages functioning as categories) and augmented by supporting articles (less than 100,000 competing pages).

#7 – Primary pages should have 750 words or more (preferably with unique content free of excessive stop words).

#14 – Use server side includes or custom navigation (depending on the page you are on and its function to the whole). For example, the category pages and supporting articles should NOT have the same navigation (as each has its own unique function within the site).Some pages are meant to rank, others to help other pages rank, those that are designed to augment others should have less links leaving them and seek to have inbound links that also support them.

#19 – Make sure each page that is intended to rank has 3-5 backlinks to (a) increase the likelihood of indexation and (b) sprout page rank or page level authority.

If you’re not familiar with the work that goes into SEO marketing – this article will give you an idea of what you’re paying your SEO webmaster for.  If you are familiar with SEO work then you may get some great satisfaction in knowing you are doing the right thing (either for yourself or your clients).

Hope you like it.

 


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19 May 2011
home business • seo • small business

Courage


It’s not easy being different – although I always thought it was harder to conform. But, that’s from someone who’s different. So, consider the source!

As some of you may know, my husband and I host a monthly “movie night” where we choose a movie, give out clues and trivia and our guests try to guess the movie. It’s a great excuse to get together, watch a movie, discuss it and learn a bit more about it. It also introduces all of us to movies we probably would have never watched.

Since we host the event every month we usually pick the movie. Well, I usually pick the movie! But, I’m thinking I’ll have to change that plan. It seems I don’t choose the movies the majority of others like. (Hence, the part where I’m a bit different.)

It reminds me of an incident that occurred years ago. MANY years ago, 20 or more. I was creating ceramic products as a hobby and I began selling them at festivals with another woman. She was a great ceramic crafter and her items were always “things”. You know, statues and knick knacks for the wall, etc. My ceramic products were almost always practical items like pie plates and picture frames and toothbrush holders.

At our first show together, we each unpacked all of our items and I was thinking to myself, there’s no way her stuff is going to sell, it’s just knick knacks – who wants more stuff to dust?

Well – as you probably have guessed, I was very, very, very wrong.

Her stuff absolutely sold and usually sold out. She didn’t create these items like sculptures, I mean they were still ceramics made from molds, painted and glazed. But people purchased her items in much more volume than my items.

That was the first time I remember in my adult life that I knew I did not have the same pulse everyone else did. I still don’t understand it, I still don’t get it – but it’s true to this day.

So, why am I sharing this story?

Because I say if you’re “different” – go with it! Don’t let others discourage you or make you feel “odd”. Take that difference and do something with it! People will not only remember you but your actions will have a greater impact, believe me.

So, have courage. Be different and if you find that you’re not so different, find folks who are and learn from them. You’ll not only have more fun in your life, you’ll live a more richer life because of it.


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