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!

Activity – Analyze Website Statistics
Time Spent – anywhere from 15 minutes to 1 hour
Purpose – the reason for looking through the website stats is not just to see how many visitors came to the site, it’s really to see how the website is doing. What I mean is, what pages are bringing in visitors (and which ones are not?), what keyword phrases are working (and which ones aren’t?), what call to action buttons are working (and which ones are not?). Basically, I’m looking for ways to improve the site, page by page, paragraph by paragraph. That’s the real purpose of website stats analysis.

Activity – Optimization Actions
Time Spent – anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours
Purpose – This is where the nitty gritty of SEO really happens. If I discover that a particular page is not indexed in the search engines, I need to find out why. I need to correct any broken links throughout the site, or remove a duplicate description tag or increase the content on the website page or re-write the content somehow. I also need to make sure that all the tags are correctly written on the page. This is usually done during the initial SEO but if phrases change, links to and from the page change, and of course, search engine “rules” change – then all that means that the tags have to be changed as well. Optimization is a constant, never ending process of tweaking and re-tweaking website pages to get the most out of them.

Activity – New Keyword Research
Time Spent – anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes
Purpose – Finding new keyword phrases is not really that hard. Finding really good keyword phrases, well, that can be a bit difficult. The reason is that there are certain numbers you have to look up for each keyword phrase. I mean, is the phrase too competitive? Is the phrase typed in often enough to bring in traffic? Is the phrase relevant in your geography? Is the phrase the kind of phrase that “window shoppers” are typing in or is it one that “buyers” are typing in? If a page were added about this phrase, where would be the best spot to add it on the website? All these issues have to be answered before the phrases are chosen and sent out to the clients. The truth is, this one little service that we give our clients, each and every month, is the BEST way that they can get more and more traffic. But unfortunately, because it involves some work on their part (they write the content or at least pay someone to) – this is the least acted on!

Activity – Competition Research
Time Spent – anywhere from 1 hour to 2 hours
Purpose – I don’t think there’s anyone in business who doesn’t have a constant eye out for their competition. Internet marketing is no different. Knowing what the competitor down the street or the competitor on the first page of Google is doing can give you an edge in not just keeping up with them but surpassing the competition. The beauty of the Internet is that you can get quite a bit of information on your competition, without ever having to leave your desk!

Activity – Submissions
Time Spent – anywhere from 1 hour to 4 hours
Purpose – Although these days, it’s not necessary to submit websites to search engines, it still is helpful to submit press releases, articles and to find local directories and of course, niche directories to submit your information to. Especially now a days with social media sites such as Foursquare, Yelp, UrbanSpoon and so many others, it’s important to claim your space and be seen. Years ago you would have never imagined opening a business without getting listed in the Yellow Pages. Today, the same can be said but instead of just the Yellow Pages, there are literally hundreds of online sites to get listed on.

Activity – Keeping Up With The News
Time Spent – anywhere from 1 hour to 3 hours per day (every day)
Purpose – The Internet is amazing, it’s wonderful and at the same time, it’s frustrating and difficult. There are so many new events, new technology, new techniques, new algorithims, new engines, new online sources, etc. that keeping up with all of this information and sorting out what is working and what isn’t working can be daunting and is, absolutely, never ending. I scan through at least 50 articles per day and that’s certainly not keeping up! I have several thousand backlogged that I still haven’t gotten to. So, if you think that keeping up with what’s new online is not part of your Internet Marketing time frame, you’re in for a failed marketing campaign.

So, how many hours SHOULD you spend on SEO or Internet Marketing?

The minimum time I spend on a client’s marketing is 3.5 hours per month (not including reading up on new information). Of course, the size of the website, the willingness of the client to make changes on their site, all play a part in how much I can do on the website. And it goes without saying, that the more “action” that takes place on a website, the more it changes, the more new information is added, the more traffic the site will get.

Can all this be expensive if you outsource it? Sure – there’s no doubt, time is money and you’re not just purchasing time here, you’re also purchasing knowledge. But the truth is, if you are disciplined enough and if you are willing enough to put the time and energy into marketing your own website, it can be done. Would you be just as successful? Maybe. After all, who knows your business better than you do? But, then again, the Internet marketer knows the Internet – so, it’s a bit of a balancing act!

Know what you’re getting into, what’s needed to do the job of Internet marketing and you’ll be better off, not only with the campaign but with your expectations for that campaign as well!

Do what you’ve always done and you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.  (or something like that).

Point is – review the Internet marketing that you’ve done for 2010 – what worked, what didn’t?  Look to see what’s new, what haven’t you tried that was recommended?  Make a list, make a plan and go for it.

It sounds all great, but when you sit down at your desk to “make the list” or “make the plan” – all of a sudden, you find yourself just sitting there staring at a blank piece of paper!  So, here’s an article that can help you get started.  My business coach, John Miller sent it to me – and I’m sharing it with you.

http://litemind.com/tackle-any-issue-with-a-list-of-100/

Check out the links for mindmaps as well – those are some great ways to begin the process of “thinking” and “planning” for success in your business.

Oh, and just another tip.  If your Internet marketing webmaster is recommending some strategies, don’t put them under the rug.  He or she is not doing it “just cause” or “to make money”.  The bottom line for any Internet marketing webmaster is the success of their clients.  If the client doesn’t succeed, then neither does the webmaster.  Recommendations are made based on what the competition is doing, what the Internet is offering and what the trends are showing.

Like I always say, “Find out what your audience wants, and then give it to them.”  It’s really as simple as that.  You just have to remember to listen!

I have no way of knowing if this is actually true or not but I do know that the websites, for the most part are in no way optimized or prepared for the search engines.  Some aren’t even ready for the public, but that’s another story!

After speaking and consulting with multiple designers over the years I do believe that there’s a sense of  “it’s not important” – from the designers’ perspective.  Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m writing this post to once again emphasize how important every SEO factor truly is.

It’s Not Just Me Saying This

Here’s an excerpt by Adam Audette at SearchEngineLand.

This article speaks more about Canonicalization issues but the take home message is the same.  The details of SEO are extremely important when it comes to marketing websites.  If there are 200 different ranking factors that Google takes into consideration, and your competitor has fulfilled 130 of them but your website has only fulfilled 70 of them.  Well, guess who’s going to rank higher?

What’s a site owner or SEO webmaster to do?

Well, stick with the basics for one and of course, keep adding and tweaking the site not only for the search engines but for the target audience as well.

Here’s a list of the basics that I follow when optimizing websites…

1) Keyword research is the key – assign 1 keyword phrase per website page and don’t forget to use the semantic phrases as well.

2) Make sure that keyword phrase is where it’s supposed to be.  Meta tags, header tags, bold, at the beginning, in the middle, at the end and within links.

3) Silo the website architecture and use breadcrumbs and smart menu navigation throughout.

4) Spread the word via articles, social media and social bookmarking.

5) Monitor each page of the website.  Find out what’s working, what’s not working and then make your changes.  Internet marketing is a constant tweaking process.  Don’t kid yourself to thinking that it’s a one time deal.

So, the lesson here is don’t get too caught up about the rankings of your website.  Look at the specific stats your website is telling you.  Fix the pages that aren’t working.  Change the keyword phrases that aren’t bringing in good traffic.    Believe me, you’ll get to the top!

According to Search Engine Journal, …”SEOs are going to have to focus on two new concepts in their marketing plan in 2010:

1) Social Media
2) Mobile Search”

Basically, what the article points to, and I believe they’re correct, is that the future of the “relevancy of a website” (at least in the eyes of the search engine) will be how “interacted upon” the website is.  In other words, how many visitors come to the page and how many refer the page, how many talk about the page, how many twitter about it, facebook about it, share it.

And not just “share it” but “engage with it”.  All the hoopla about Personalized Search – Search Engine Journal boils it down to, “The more users engage with a document, the more it will show up in their personalized results.”   In addition, it’s not just the actual page the user will be interacting with, but what comes before and what comes after.  “Google will look to categorize a document according to the sites a user navigates to before and after the document in question.”  I know, it can all be quite frightening.  But, with Bing in the background, as search marketers, we have to remember that we need to optimize for Google, yes, but also for Bing as it grows and we’ll see how it grows!

So, what’s the bottom line?  Change, that’s the bottom line.

Basically, Internet Marketing firms have to make some changes…

1) Drop the old ranking game.  You can’t track rankings anymore.  You have to track visitors, conversions and usability.

2) Make the websites more informative and interactive.  You can’t just market the website for “denver dentist” anymore.  You need to add to the site so that the users will “interact” with it.  Share it.  Talk about it.  Refer it.

3) Stop ignoring the mobile web.  It’s time to go mobile and begin tracking how users go through (or not) your mobile sites.

Google announced and began implementing several new factors in their list of ranking factors…

1) Real Time Search
2) Personalized Search Results
3) Page Speed
4) Easier search on mobile units

So, what do these mean?

1) Real Time Search
Basically, when you do a search on Google you will be given results from within Social Media programs such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. along with the other search engine results.  Here’s an article from WebProNews that explains the entire process in detail but know this, there is no doubt that from now on, your exposure in social media programs will impact your website.  This “change” by Google ensures the future of social media.  What you say and do, and what is said about you in social media circles can and will become a line in the search result pages.  So, if you haven’t yet begun the process of joining and participating in social media, the time has come to jump in.

2) Personalized Search Results

It used to be that if you had a Google account and you were signed in to your Google account and you used Google to search for something, your search results would be skewed to your history.  In other words, if your Google history showed that you shopped often at Sears online, then when you made a search for an item, you would be shown results from Sears because to Google, you like Sears so they’re trying to give you what you like.  Google calls this “Personalized Search”.

You could, of course, log out of your Google account and your search results would be different because Google had no history to tap into.  But those days are now gone.  Personalized search is now ALL THE TIME and FOR EVERYONE using Google.  So, no matter if you have a Google account or not, if you’re signed in or not, you will have a Google history and they will tap into that history everytime you do a search on Google.

This is a great feature for Internet users, it makes the entire search process faster, easier and more relevant.  But for website owners and marketers, it changes the game completely.  It means that we can’t rely on website rankings anymore for traffic.  Because, truthfully, rankings aren’t going to matter much.  After all, 10 people in the same city doing the same exact search can potentially get 10 different search results depending on their zip code and their search history.  So, what good is it to be #1 on Sally’s computer and #8 on Mike’s computer?

The game now changes from rankings to traffic.  The goal now, for every website owner and Internet marketer is to increase the amount of traffic.  Rankings still play a part of course, but we can’t rely on those rankings as much as we used to.

Here’s an article with some more information about Google Personalized Search.

3) Page Speed

Web Designers, this is for you!  If you’ve been resisting the use of CSS and other code enhancements to create websites, you’re in for a large learning curve.  Google is now using the load time of a website page as part of it’s ranking algorithm.  So, if your website page takes 5 seconds to load onto a browser and your competitor takes 2 seconds to load, well, your competitor will get some extra ranking points for that.

Of course, this is just one of over 100 ranking factors that Google uses to rank websites but it is a new factor.  It’s important enough for Google to add to their Webmaster tools which in turn, tells us that they are looking at it right now!  So, get your websites loading faster!

4) Easier search on mobile units

I said it at the beginning of 2009, that this would be the year that Mobile Internet would hit big in the US and it has proven to be true.  2010 will only be bigger and it will just continue to grow.  The impact has been acknowledged by Google as they are now providing some easier ways to search on mobile units.

They already have search by voice, search by location and now they’ve introduced search by images.  Basically, you take a photo of the item that you’re interested in and Google will “attempt to locate it and give you information…” about it.  They’re calling ig Google Goggles.  How this will pan out, I have no idea but it’s an extremely interesting concept!

All in all, Google has launched 38 different new ways to search in the last 70 days.  There’s no doubt that the “big brother” theme comes to mind but for now, as an Internet marketer, I have to change my game plan.  We all do.  Anyone associated with SEO and Internet marketing has to re-structure how they manage their website marketing campaigns if they want to work with Google and gain the benefits of that search engine.  After all, it’s being used by 74% of the planet!

If you haven’t yet heard from your SEO firm about these changes, shoot them an email.  Don’t call, they’re probably working 22 hours a day just trying to keep up!

These comments obviously come from someone who still hasn’t figured out how to use the Internet.  What I mean is there still are people out there who don’t use the Internet daily.  Yep, it’s true.  If these folks need to find the phone number for that pizza place around the corner that they can’t remember the name of, they go to the yellow pages or call their neighbor or rummage through the drawer full of menus from local restaurants.

But if they used the Internet regularly, they would know that they could just go to Google Maps, type in their address and then search for Pizza and Ta-Da!!!  There it is.  Phone number and more.  (So, now you know what i mean).

Anyway, local listings are becoming more and more important because of the increased use and availability of mobile phones and GPS units.  If your business is not listed in local Internet directories, it won’t be found by those folks who are looking for a nearby store or service.  Is it as costly as it was to get into the Yellow Pages (you know, the print kind)?  Absolutely NO WAY!!  So, what’s keeping you from going local?

But, here’s the tip.  When you do optimize your website for a local search engine you need to let the engine know that you are local.  So, make sure to place your phone number with area code on every page.  Make sure to include your address on every page.  And make sure to focus some website pages on geo locations such as city, county, etc.

Here are some examples:

Pompano Beach Personal Injury Attorney
Miami Dentist
Pembroke Pines Dentist
Atlanta Psychiatrist

Get the picture?  It’s important to be where your clients are.  The same is true on the Internet.  Location, Location, Location!

When you, or I or anyone goes to the Internet, the intentions that we have are different, depending on multiple factors.  The factors involved are varied depending on the overall intention of the search.

Hmm – you’re probably wondering “What the heck is she saying?”  Well, let’s see if I can explain.

Let’s say Sally intends to purchase new window treatments for her kitchen.

That would be the overall intention – the goal.

Her first set of queries into a search engine would be something like…

“kitchen window curtains”
“window treatments for kitchens”
“which curtains are best for kitchens”

These keyword phrases make up the first set of queries which can also be called “Informational Queries”.

In other words, Sally is looking for information as she begins her quest for new window treatments for her kitchen.  Once she has some information she may decide that she doesn’t want curtains, instead, from what she’s read in her search, she would prefer blinds so her next set of queries become more focused…

“window blinds 52 inches”
“wooden window blinds”
“bamboo window blinds”

This second set of queries can be called “Shopping Queries”

In other words, Sally is now beginning the shopping phase to complete her main intent of obtaining new window treatments for her kitchen.  The keyword phrases used during the shopping phase are more specific to size, colour, style, etc.  This second stage gives Sally enough information that she is now deciding between wooden blinds and vinyl blinds for her window.

This takes Sally to the third set of queries which can be called “Decision Queries”.

The keyword phrases used in this third set are meant to help the search engine user make an decision as to either which product to purchase and/or from where to purchase it.  The decision of which type of window blind to get would be different for each user.  Some users value the quality of the product, others require a quick shipping time, others need a low price.  Let’s say Sally needs these blinds on her windows in 2 days – after all, she’s having that big dinner party and she wants the kitchen windows to be dressed up.

So, Sally’s next set of search engine keyword phrases (in this decision phase) could look something like this…

“wooden window blinds” + “overnight shipping”
“vinyl window blinds” + “overnight shipping”

Her results narrow the search down to 3 vendors who carry the products she wants and provide overnight shipping.

The fourth and final set of queries can be called “Transactional Queries”.

This is where an action takes place.  Either the items are purchased, or a form is filled out requesting more information, a call is made, a map is printed, etc.  The search engine user takes an action as a result of finding the website page.

Which website would Sally choose?  Well, she does like to think of herself as frugal so price will be her next set of values.  As she reviews the 3 websites that she’s found she compares the prices of each one and their shipping fees.  Since all three carry the same products and can ship them within the same time frame, the only variable will be the price.

Sally makes her choice, completes the form and purchases the blinds.

One factor Sally may have noticed as she went through this process is that some websites (or maybe just one) kept coming up for each set of queries that she made.

When she made her “Informational Queries” she saw the website “ABCWindowTreatments.com” (I made that up) and noticed that they had a questionnaire created by a window designer to help her decide what type of window treatments work in different areas.

When she made her “Shopping Queries” she noticed the same website came up with easy to read lists of styles and colours and sizes and even some charts on how to measure a window for window treatment.  That was helpful.

When she made her “Decision Queries”, again she saw the same website come up with the overnight shipping that she required.

So, when she made her “Transactional Queries” and based it on price, guess what, she didn’t choose the cheapest priced website, why?  Because the website that she kept seeing over and over again earned her trust.  She felt comfortable with them after having seen them every time she made a query.

So, how many of your customers are like Sally?  Does your website attend to each one of their query stages?  If not, why not?

Could it be on page optimization?

Or perhaps researching the keywords?

Or maybe it’s restructuring the architecture of the website?

Wrong!

The biggest obstacle in the SEO (search engine optimization) process is the website owner. Yep, you heard me right.  For the most part, website owners will argue with their SEO firm every step of the way!

Why?  It may just be mis-understanding by the client on the SEO process (maybe poor education by the SEO firm) – it may be that the client considers his/her website their “baby” and therefore, all hands off!  But mostly I think it’s just ignorance of the SEO process.  And that goes for both site owners and SEO firms.  Many firms promise the moon, the sun and more but they rarely go into detail on what exactly needs to be done to get the moon and the sun!

As an SEO webmaster who has been in practice for 10 years I can give you some of those details.  If you’re a website owner working with or looking to work with an SEO firm, you should know the implications before you sign on the dotted line.

1) Your website will be changed – know that from the beginning.  If you’re not comfortable with changes to your website, consider having an alternate website marketed but be aware that it’s the alternate that will be found on the search engines.

2) Your website will require continuous change. Yes, it’s true, you can’t just create a website and then let it bring in business for you.  Are your competitors doing that?  Maybe so.  Maybe you and one other company are the only two selling a particular product.  And that product happens to be in demand.  If that is the case, then yes, you can get away with not changing your website.  Because truthfully, the niche and demand are so specific, the search engines will HAVE to find both your websites.

But this isn’t normally the case.  A Pompano Beach personal injury attorney won’t be the only PI attorney in Pompano Beach!  So, his/her website will have to compete with the other personal injury attorneys in the area.

Here’s a little secret - if you want to see how often your online competitors change their website, put their domain on Code Monitor.  It’ll give you an idea of how often they make a change either on their site or blog, etc.

3) Your website needs to grow. Yeah, I know.  You’re thinking “Well, of course you’re going to tell me it needs to grow!  That way the seo firm or the web designer keep getting a steady income from me for new pages!  Ha!  I’m smarter than that!” – Sorry to tell you, NO, that’s not the reason.  Believe me, any web designer and any SEO firm (who are worth their salt) are busy enough!  Just ask my clients!  They’ll tell you how often they get emails from me at 1:30 AM (or later!).

But, here is the TRUE reason as to why you need to keep adding to your website.

a) Your website is your online office/retail space.  So that means that if your client base searches for a service or product that you sell, you need to have that on your website.  That means every single service or product that you sell must be on your website.  Most businesses change their list of services, products throughout the year.  Those changes need to be reflected on your website.

b) Your client base are also searching for answers to their questions that have to do with your product or service.  It doesn’t matter if you sell divorce services, name tags, maps to movie star homes or whatever.  There are questions out there that you can answer and why should your target audience find those answers somewhere else?  They shouldn’t.  They should find them on your website.

Are you going to have all the answers to all the questions on your website when it first launches?  I doubt it.  But you can continuously add to your website.  After all, you may not be able to afford a 500 page website at first, but you could certainly build up to that a little at a time.

c) Every business has seasons.  If you’re smart, you’ll know what your audience is looking for at each season of the year and you’ll alter your website to accommodate them.

Another Secret: most business websites receive the majority of traffic on Wednesday.  If this is the case with your website, then make sure that every Tuesday night, your web designer puts up a special page or sets of pages just for Wednesday!  Take advantage of the extra foot traffic to your website.

So, don’t be an obstacle to your own SEO campaign.  There is no benefit to the SEO firm if your website does not succeed.  For their own reputation, they WANT your website to succeed so they’re not just blowing smoke, they need to do what they’re telling you.  Work with them and you will reap the rewards!