Long tail keyword phrases are one of the very best SEO tools available. If your SEO webmaster is not utilizing long tail keyword phrases, you may be missing out on a very important segment of your target audience.

You see, long tail keyword phrases are usually the most profitable phrases because they are most often being typed in by Internet users who are ready to make the purchase.

Think about it. When you begin a search you begin (usually) with a general phrase and the more information you learn about what you want or need, the more specific phrases you type in. The long tail phrase is that specific phrase.

I took a look at the statistics for several websites that our SEO Firm is marketing and here are the results…

The 6 keyword phrases that converted 100% for Atlantis Plumbing were…
1) ga underground leak detection
2) plumbers in douglasville
3) plumbing leak detection marietta ga
4) polybutylene piping lawsuits
5) water main pinhole leak
6) water pipe excavation

The 5 keyword phrases that converted 100% for Certified Windows and Doors were…
1) hurricane proof sliding glass windows
2) hurricane window contractors broward county florida
3) manufactures in pompano bch fl
4) pgt approved south florida contractors
5) windows and doors miami

The 5 keyword phrases that converted 100% for Florida Divorce Law Online were…
1) divorce papers lee county fl
2) file for divorce in cape coral florida
3) florida divorce papers
4) limited representation agreement florida divorce
5) divorce lawyer online

This tells me (and it should tell you too) that the kind of people who type in long tail keyword phrases are the kind that are ready to make the purchase.   So, take a look at the keyword phrases your website is marketing.  Are they long tail phrases?

Tags: internet marketing, keywords, long tail keyword, seo

Many of you use Gmail – and you’re in the majority if you do.  You may notice a small change on your Gmail panel.  Right under “Inbox” in the left column you may notice the word “Buzz” – if it’s there, then you have been Buzzed.  You are now able to use Google’s latest social media marketing gadget.

What is Buzz?  Think of it as Google’s very own Twitter.  The benefit is that it’s right there on Gmail.  So, no need to open a separate screen of have a separate account or window open.  Your email, your chats and now your Tweets can all be performed, viewed, responded to right from the Gmail control panel.  Pretty slick.

Will it take over Twitter?  Who knows, it’s anybody’s guess as to what programs will still be in use months from now but one thing is for sure.  The ease of using this new gadget can’t be beat.

If you’ve already been buzzed, feel free to follow me at eckweb@gmail.com.  I’ll post my daily tips, notes and comments about this crazy SEO / Internet Marketing industry and hopefully you’ll find them useful for your own marketing.

Happy Buzzing.

Tags: buzz, google, internet marketing, seo, social media, twitter

Experimenting here, if I wanted to steal some bandwidth from a website – actually, I suppose my goal would REALLY be to steal the image but not only is it bad enough that I steal the image but the way that I do it, I may compound the bad karma by stealing bandwidth as well.

Usually, when you post an image online it’s something to a local file.  But if you post it directly from the website it came from, like this…

http://www.mauslawfirm.com/images/ad-home.jpg

Then you are stealing bandwidth.

So, as a responsible website owner, webmaster, designer, whatever – what do you do?  Easy.  You enter the following code into your .htaccess file.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http://(.+\.)?domain\.com/ [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteRule .*\.(jpe?g|gif|bmp|png)$ /images/stop_stealing_bandwidth.jpe [L]

Create an image and name it stop_stealing_bandwidth.jpe

So, that’s the story on saving bandwidth!

Tags: internet marketing, saving bandwidth, seo

Okey dokey, has everyone swallowed the latest Google news and algorithmic changes?  Are you ready to embrace the new way of thinking about your SEO campaigns?  If not, well, don’t wait too long.  Before you know it, you’ll be left behind and other SEO firms will be way ahead of you in marketing their websites.

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.

Tags: 2010, internet marketing, search engine optimization, seo

If you haven’t yet heard what the latest Google changes are, let me give you a brief synopsis…

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!

Tags: google, internet marketing, search engine optimization, search results, seo, serps, small business seo

So very often I hear comments like, “But my business is local, why should I market on the Internet?”

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!

Tags: internet marketing, local marketing, search engine optimization, seo

So, I’m reading this new book I just received, The Art of SEO and right at the beginning it’s got a very nice layout of how search engine users (our customers / your customers) think.  So, it gave me the idea for this article.  You can say this article was inspired by the book.

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?

Tags: internet marketing, search engine optimization, search engine users, seo, website marketing

Can you guess?

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!

Tags: internet marketing, search engine optimization, seo

SEO (search engine optimization) has become much more than just altering meta tags.  (Remember those days?!) SEO services has grown to become an integral part of business development.  Let me show you how.

Let’s say you’re a divorce attorney.  You build a site talking about who you are and your services for divorce, child custody, adoption, etc.

Your webmaster begins the SEO process and markets the website for it’s existing content.  If the SEO webmaster is good, he/she will research the trends in your industry.  A few months into the marketing your webmaster informs you that there appears to be a spike in “online divorce papers”.  What your webmaster is telling you is…

1) there are people looking for “online divorce papers”
2) since you’re in the “divorce” business, you should look into offering “online divorce papers”

I know, it sounds simple.  Almost elementary.  But it is a service provided by SEO firms that is ignored 98% of the time.  How do I come up with 98%?  Well, in the 10 years that I’ve been providing search engine optimization, I have had less than 5 clients change their business to include the new trend.  That’s FIVE businesses out of hundreds (over 800 at last count).  It’s probably more than 98% but you get the idea.

Why do businesses ignore this?  I honestly don’t know.  If you do, let me know.

But use SEO to help shape the path your business takes.  You and your customers will both benefit from it greatly!

Tags: internet marketing, search engine optimization, seo, seo firms