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By Alesya Krush in Featured

Time is precious. They say “time is money,” but I think it’s even more than that. In this post, I would like to talk about the SEO practices that are a complete waste of time.

Before writing the post, I simply sat down and penned my SEO experiences. As a beginner, I used to waste a lot of time on different SEO methods that later on turned out quite useless. So, I made a list of those. I’ve also “interviewed” some of my SEO buddies and included their piece of advice in this post, too. So, what I would like to present to you is our distilled wisdom. Enjoy!

It is NO use:

1. Hanging Out at SEO Blogs/Forums

Ironically, this is what you are doing now, aren’t you? Well, it’s not the same, and let me explain why. There is a difference between CHOOSING to read a blog post or a forum thread that looks really helpful (this is what experienced SEO’s do) and simply reading everything in sight to stay informed about everything at all times.

I remember the days when I used to read every reply in a forum thread that I started, even when I already knew the answer to the question I had asked in the thread. I was just curious! So, guess what, I don’t have the time for curiosity anymore.

By Steve Shaw in Featured

Once you’ve done the keyword research for your website, you can then use those keywords strategically in your article submission campaign. By creating keyword focused articles, you’ll get much better results from your article marketing efforts by helping search engines to associate your website with particular keyword terms.

This article gives some quick article marketing tips on how to appropriately use your keywords in your article submissions:

1 – The Headline:

The purpose of your headline is to indicate the topic of your article.

Try to place the keyword phrase that you’re targeting at the beginning of your headline. This takes some thought – the goal is to create a headline that would capture the attention of your potential reader, but that also prominently displays the keyword phrase. The title also has to be grammatically correct and contain correct spelling.

The best SEO-friendly titles just look like a great title – no one should be able to tell that you have specifically crafted it with your keywords in mind.

Please note: In addition to the keywords you researched for your website, it’s a good idea to also do keyword research for the topics of your articles. The phrases associated with your article topics will naturally be longer, say 3-8 words long. They are more specific than the keywords that are associated with your website, but that makes them perfectly suited for article topics.

The main difference between these two types of keywords is that the ones you use in your title and article body are what you’d like the article to rank for, and the keywords you use in your resource box are the ones you’d like your website to rank for.

2 – The Article:

The topic of the article is determined by the title.

Try to repeat your keyword phrase in the first 5 sentences or so of the article, in a natural sounding way of course.

Then, just write naturally about your topic. Since the keyword phrase is closely related to the topic of your article, then variations of the phrase should appear naturally in your article. Don’t try to force it too much, and by all means don’t pepper your article with the keyword phrase.

The most important part about the article is that it is easy for a reader to understand and that it provides helpful information. So, focus on writing a well-written article that teaches your reader something. After carefully placing your keyword phrase in the 5 lines, don’t worry too much about how many times the keyword phrase appears in the article. It will show up every once in a while as you naturally write about your topic.

Also, it’s okay for the phrase to appear in different forms, for example, ‘race cars,’ ‘racing cars,’ ‘race car gear’, etc.

3 – The Resource Box:

The resource box is where you can tell a little about yourself and your business and where you can encourage the reader to click the link leading back to your website. This is also a great spot to put one of the keyword phrases that you’d like your website to rank highly for.

Many directories will allow you to create an anchor text link in your resource box. With an anchor text link, you can use your keyword phrase to form the link that leads back to your website. This helps search engines to associate that phrase with the topic of your website and can influence the search engine ranking for your site for that phrase.

Be sure not to use the same phrase each time though – you should have a list of keyword phrases for your website, and you can alternate those in your resource boxes. If you use the same phrase as anchor text each time, it can look suspicious to search engines, which could have negative SEO consequences for your website.

Let’s recap the main things to remember when creating an SEO friendly article:

=> Do your keyword research, and find phrases to target in your articles as well as phrases that you’d like your website to rank for.

=> Write naturally. The phrases that appear in your article should not be conspicuous or awkward sounding. They should just be a natural part of a helpful article.

=> Be sure to use proper spelling and grammar. This is necessary for the article to be published and also for readers to be able to understand what the article is saying.

After doing this a few times, writing an SEO-friendly article will be like second nature. You’ll become very skilled at creating content that’s useful to your readers, while at the same time crafting an article that will attract the attention of search engines.

Steve Shaw has helped thousands of business owners worldwide build traffic, leads and sales to their websites, and he wants to help you do the same – grab his free report giving you a blueprint for attracting sustainable, dirt-cheap, long-term, targeted traffic to any website…including yours! Go now to http://www.submityourarticle.com/report – some people have used the same information to boost their traffic by up to 600%!

By K Damian Qualter in Featured

Even though there are numerous search engines available on the internet we all know that Google is the one that counts when it comes to rankings. This means that if you want your website to be successful you need to aim your SEO campaign at Google, but how exactly can you do this if you struggle to understand the complexities of the subject?

1. Create Content That Isn’t Time Sensitive

Putting good quality content on your website that won’t go out-of-date in a few weeks or months is an easy way to boost search engine optimization. By making the content you use useful now and in the future you won’t need to remove it and replace it over and over again – you can simply add to it on a regular basis.

A website with very poor content or very little content is an SEO no-no if you want good search engine rankings so get your typing head on and create some content that people will be glad to read now and in 10 years’ time.

2. Think About Your Customer’s Needs

Put yourself in your customer’s shoes and think about the actual words they may type into the search box in order to find your website. Then check how popular these words are with an SEO keyword tool, such as the free one supplied by Google. One of the quickest and easiest ways to achieve good SEO is with good keyword selection. Then all you need to do is include your SEO keywords in your website content.

By Joseph Baker in Featured

Everyone, from a corner coffee shop to an enterprise cloud provider, benefits from good SEO. But how do you get “good” SEO? Few people even understand the concept of search engine optimization, let alone what makes “good” SEO. You can attempt to go at it alone, but it will ultimately cost you more money in man-hours than it would have cost you to outsource.

Although many business owners consider themselves Internet savvy, the learning curve for optimizing a business for search engines and social media is always expanding. The better choice is to hire an outside firm to handle SEO, but how do you know if you are getting reliable service? To make it simple, we’ve broken down the top 10 things to look for before hiring an SEO company.

1. Transparency – A good SEO professional or firm will have no problem explaining to you exactly how his or her services work. You should know exactly how much time will be spent working on your SEO needs. The person you hire, should also reveal to you the techniques used to boost your website or business’s exposure online, rather than hide it from you. The goal is to help you become more informed so you can perform basic maintenance SEO without the help of a professional. They should fulfill all of the recommendations made by Google for companies looking for SEO.

2. Strategy – The company should have a strong grasp of overall SEO strategies and how to adapt them to your business and your needs. Don’t hire a company that is stuck on a single marketing strategy. Performing on-page optimization is a necessary part of SEO, but that’s only part of the entire process. Find a company that can provide you with a complete range of SEO services.

3. Reporting – Your chosen SEO professional should report back to you on a regular basis concerning the tactics being used to market your business. If there is something you don’t understand, you should be able to ask questions without being told to let the professionals handle it.

4. Experience – Experience is a key factor in determining which SEO company to hire. The Internet is constantly changing, so the longer someone has been providing SEO services, the better the chances are that he or she is staying ahead of the latest advances in search engine algorithms and social media trends.

5. Structure – An SEO professional should be structured and professional. No one wants to hire someone to do SEO work who does it “on the side.” Instead, the person or company you hire, should be structured and abide by deadlines.

Furthermore, you should have no problem contacting him or her when you need to, and phone calls should not take several days to return.

6. Budget – Be upfront about how much you are willing to spend, and demand a clear budget, broken down into itemized expenses. While you should expect to pay for good SEO, the company or person you hire, should have no problem revealing exactly how much of your money is being on marketing your business, and how much is paying for professional services.

7. Promises – Run away if you are promised top results in a search engine. While the goal is to give you the very best ranking you can get in your market, no one can realistically promise you a #1 ranking or fast results. It could happen, but it’s more likely that it will take at least six months to start seeing the long-lasting results of an SEO campaign.

8. Ranking – If the company’s good at what they do, you should see their pages high in results for SEO-related searches. Ask for examples of previous work they’ve done to prove their ability to achieve high rankings for you.

9. Testimonials – An SEO firm should be able to provide you with a list of satisfied customers, as well as testimonials from those customers. Ask for some references that you can contact personally to ask questions about previous customer service experiences.

10. Interest – Any company you work with should treat you with the same respect and priority that it treats bigger companies and more expensive clients. You should never be shoved aside for someone else with bigger pockets, so make sure that the company you choose shows genuine interest in helping you before you sign on the dotted line.

Joseph Baker is a freelance writer living in the Midwest. He enjoys working on his novel and drinking large amounts of Earl Grey tea. He writes this article behalf of American InterContinental University.

By Kristina Weis in Featured

Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t easy for any website, and e-commerce sites have some unique SEO challenges to overcome.

These tips will help you tackle your e-commerce site’s SEO so you can rank higher in search engine results and get more visitors, customers and sales for your online store.


1. Create Unique Content on Each of Your Product and Product Category Pages

Interesting, unique content tells Google a page is valuable, and helps it rank higher. Well-written content can also persuade more of your visitors to actually pull out their credit cards.

Don’t just copy the manufacturer’s description of the product. Write your own description so that Google sees it as valuable, unique content. Google’s Farmer/Panda Update of early 2011 favors sites with more original content.

2. Discover What Shoppers are Actually Searching For

Keyword research is an invaluable way to discover the words you should be using to describe what you sell. You can find out how many people search for a particular keyword per month, and even check more specifically for your own region, with Google’s free keyword tool.

By David Jackson in Featured

On Wednesday, February 23, 2011, a category 5 hurricane named “Panda” swept through the Gulf of Google devastating businesses large and small alike. The hurricane was reportedly named after one of Google’s engineers.

So what was the reason for this catastrophic and “game-changing” update? Well, according to Google:

“This update is designed to reduce rankings for low-quality sites – sites which are low-value, copy content from other websites or sites that are just not very useful. At the same time, it will provide better rankings for high-quality sites – sites with original content and information such as research, in-depth reports, thoughtful analysis and so on. It is important for high-quality sites to be rewarded, and that’s exactly what this change does.” (Source: Google Blog)

Mission accomplished. Anyway, in the aftermath of the Panda update, there are 11 important SEO facts I’ve learned based on my own personal experiences, the experiences of my clients, and from listening to top SEO professionals across the Internet.

The above passages are from an article I wrote last July titled, Google Panda Update: 11 Important SEO Facts You Should Know.

By Karl Walinskas in Featured

Content is King

As a small business owner or entrepreneur trying to broaden your internet target and get recognized, I’m sure you are aware of the value of new, fresh, recurring content on your site of all types. When it comes to written content on page copy or blogs and articles, you need to be able to write well, be informative and entertain, that’s obvious. That’s for your viewers. But if you can’t write as well for Google and the other search engines to maximize your subject matter for Search Engine Marketing, you are the proverbial tree in the forest that falls when no one else is around. This article provides a frequently discussed yet misunderstood technique to help you make your material applicable and explode your SEO online.

Google Adwords Keyword Tool

Perhaps you’ve heard of Google Adwords, Google’s primary pay for placement vehicle on their mother of all search engine returns. You might have run a campaign or I bet you’ve at least been petitioned by Google Adwords “experts” to run your campaigns for you to help you pay less per click, otherwise known as PPC.

Well, Google offers a free instrument to help you select keywords and phrases based upon how much they are searched every month and how much competition there is from other marketers. It’s called the Google Adwords Keyword Tool and while it is created for advertisers, it reveals plenty of tips about search engine optimizing your written content (or video tags) for your page copy and blogs. Contrary to what many believe, you do not have to have an Adwords account to make use of this tool, and here is the link, so save this:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

I could tell you about it, but why don’t I just show you. Check out this instructional Vlog video:


Relevant Content using Google’s Keyword Tool
Uncomfortable Behaviors

When I write I like to write for the readers. I’ve seen too much content composed for search engine optimization that really stinks to the point of being unreadable, cramming keywords into sentences. It’s awkward to write this way for me, and perhaps for you, because it just feels weird and you can end up with a write-up or website that seems bogus. Here are a few ideas for getting adjusted to it:

1. Use the Adwords Tool first and come up with 3-5 keywords (phrases) for your content, using high-traffic, low-competition keywords where available. Keep them on a list in front of you.

2. Lay out your paragraph or article in light of the phrases you selected for SEO. It may give a different slant than you first had or take you down a different path that you know interests the readers out there.

3. Write your piece sprinkling in the key phrases on your list where they click. Add a check mark each time you use a keyword, and you can use alternatives of a phrase to not sound too repetitive (spot gold, spot gold prices, spot gold pricing, gold prices).

4. Proof-read for sanity and information flow, and revise where needed.

That’s it! Get used to that process and it will get easier and easier.

Karl Walinskas is the CEO of Smart Company Growth, a business development firm that helps small to mid-size professional service firms build competitive advantage in an online world of sameness. He is author of numerous articles and the Smart Blog on leadership, business communication, sales & service, public speaking and virtual business, and Getting Connected Through Exceptional Leadership, available in the SmartShop. Get your FREE LinkedIn Profile Optimization eBook & Video Course, Video Marketing video and course, or Mastermind Groups e-course & video now.

By Max OnFire in Featured

1. Keyword Basics:

The most important thing with keywords for your website is that you have to begin the process with proper research. Take advantage of free tools and services at your disposal such as the Google Adwords tool, and consider paying for more advanced and detailed programs.

Remember that keyword density is a thing of the past, there is no density you should be opting for. Instead, focus on natural inclusion of your targeted keywords, working them in where possible without doing it excessively.

Google Keyword Tool – google for “KeywordToolExternal.”

Note: The fastest results are seen in targeting a larger number of lower level competitive terms.

2. Create Great URLS:

There are many steps that go into creating great URLs. Starting from the beginning, you should pick a domain name that is short, memorable and includes your most important keyword phrase. While hyphens are acceptable, more than two begins to get excessive and spam-like.

By Adam Bauthues in Featured

You thought you were done when you optimized your site for Google, MSN, and Yahoo, right? Nope – the Microsoft Network, MSN, has partnered with Yahoo in a 10-year, $275 million dollar agreement and recently launched Bing. Having gone live in June 2009, it’s instantly very popular. There’s even talk that it may eventually replace Google as the most popular search engine because it is intuitive and offers users a number of search options.

Early reports also show that Bing users are more likely to click on advertisements than Google users. Time will tell and Google will most certainly have an answer to Bing’s growing popularity. While we can’t predict the future, all signs point to making the effort now to learn SEO for Bing.

Here are the top 6 ways to do that today…

1) Manage Length of Your Content

Make your content longer than 300 words. According to SEO experts, Bing algorithms seem to place a higher value on content that is over 300 words. That means longer blog posts, more content on web pages and longer articles.

2) On-Page Tips for Bing

Optimize your title tags for your keywords and use unique tags on each page. You may be doing this already for Google and Yahoo. Keep it up. Bing really likes title tags and pays attention to them when indexing and ranking your page. If you haven’t been paying too much attention to them up until now, it’s time to start.

3) Bing Linking

Linking is always important in SEO. However, unlike Google, when doing SEO for Bing, pay more attention to building backlinks from highly relevant websites. Also, Bing really likes outbound links and gives a bit more weight than the other search engines do.

4) Keyword Targeting

Bing’s own FAQ page suggests that you target no more than two keywords per page. We suggest you follow this rule. Usually you will want to target one main keyword you are trying to get ranked for and a more long-tail keyword which contains your main keyword in it.

5) Meta Tags

You may have let your meta tags slide over the years because rumor has it Google doesn’t really pay much attention to them. However, Bing recommends you use unique description tags on each page.

6) Continue All Other Good SEO Practices

Good SEO for Bing does have some differences than Google, but good SEO practices still need to be followed too. For example:

* Use H1 tags
* Use text navigation links
* Use keywords in your URL

There’s a bit of disagreement between experts. There are some reports that indicate Bing places value on longevity. The older your website, the more respect Bing seems to want to give you. However, other sources cite that younger, newer sites, have the advantage. Regardless, whether you’re a brand new site or a website that’s been around for years, put the above practices in place and be patient.

As an internet business owner it’s always good to pay attention to what the big three are doing, the big three being MSN, Yahoo, and Google. And when two of them team up then that most certainly deserves a change in strategy. As the months pass and Bing continues to grow, there will likely be some additions or changes to how SEO for Bing will work. They may change things up and decide one day to index and rank websites differently. Stay tuned for further developments.

And now I would like to invite you to receive Free Instant Access to my SEO for Bing Report: http://projectmarketer.com/cbp/seo-for-bing.php It is your complete resource for absolute victory with Bing! You can also visit my blog for more business success training at: http://www.ProjectMarketer.com

By David Jackson in Featured

A couple of weeks ago, I visited one of the Internet Marketing/Small Business forums that I’m a member of, and noticed a new member had posted a typical newbie question in the SEO forum. The member wanted to know how she could be guaranteed to get her website on the first page of Google. As usual, members came crawling out of the woodwork with advice – including members who didn’t even own a website.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty typical on Internet Marketing/Small Business forums… members who don’t own a website instructing other members how to get on the first page of Google… members who don’t own a business dispensing business advice. So be careful where you get your advice from… but I digress.

Not surprisingly, not a single member responded with the correct answer. And what is the correct answer? The correct answer is there is NO magic bullet that will assure a first page ranking on Google. Never has been, never will be. By the same token, NO reputable SEO company will promise first page rankings.

By the way, this isn’t the first time I’ve written about this topic. In my article How to Choose a Reputable SEO Company ), I wrote the following:

“No SEO company can guarantee you a first page or top 10 ranking. I repeat: NO SEO company can guarantee you a first page or top 10 ranking. Here’s why: There are far too many variables involved in the ranking of a website – not the least of which are the age of the domain, relevancy and quantity of content, number and quality of inbound links, competition, and of course Google’s ever-changing algorithms. That’s why legitimate SEO companies don’t make those kinds of outlandish promises.”

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