Do you have a Question about Internet marketing
or search engine optimization, or your website?
We'll answer your question privately
or in our next newsletter!
This Month's Question
Q: "I'm not getting very good rankings for the keywords I want - my SEO firm is charging me $800.00/month - why aren't my rankings better?"
A: I got this question in an email this month. My response to this question was as follows:
"First off, I would like to explain that the keyword phrases YOU think are important may not be. Of course, you know your industry and hopefully you know your customers, but the statistics on your website and other websites like yours will give you a better idea of what keyword phrases are actually being typed in on the Internet. So, check the monthly reports that your SEO firm is providing you. If you are ranking in the search engines for the keyword phrases currently being marketed on your website, your SEO firm is doing their job.
With that being said, I want to emphasize that rankings are not the main score you should be focused on. In other words, the ranking of your website is just one small factor in determining if your SEO firm is producing quality results. You really should focus on the sales that your website is producing.
If your sales are not climbing, your SEO firm should be asking you for more information.
a) You should be adding at least 1 new page to your website each month. This helps to create information for new keyword phrases to bring in more customers.
b) You should be involved in social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. This helps to create an online brand for your product/service.
c) You should be providing "how to" information for your target audience. This is one of the best ways to bring in traffic to your website AND you establish yourself as an expert in your field.
d) You should be writing articles which your SEO firm would then submit to article directories.
These projects, and more are not just "maybe things", they are "must things" to be done on a regular basis. Websites are not static, the Internet is not static and search engines are very aware of that.
Their job is to provide the most relevant, useful information to the user. So, make your website as relevant and useful to your target audience as possible.
As for the fee your SEO firm is charging, you will have to list the sales that you are receiving and determine if the ROI (Return On Investment) is to your satisfaction. This is no magic or secret to Internet marketing, it's just hard, constant work. So, the price you pay is not necessarily reflective of the quality of services that you receive."
Following are some resources that I can
personally recommend!
Esther C. Kane
Eckweb Designs, Inc.
Ultimate Guide To Google AdWords- If
you're really serious about managing your Google AdWords account or you want to learn all you can
about Google Adwords so you can provide the service to your clients, this is the book to get.
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
Web Marketing For Dummies - the dummies
books are a great way for anyone to begin the process of learning just about anything! Web marketing
is no exception. If you're just starting out or even if you're a seasoned old pro, you'll love
this book. It explains things simple enough so that even if you know "how" to do web
marketing, you'll learn how to explain what you do! Something we all struggle with!
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
101 Ways To Boost Your Web Traffic -
I love these 101 ways books. Many ideas I've already heard of or thought of but inevitably I will
always learn a few new ideas!
Click the book above
to buy your copy now!
Beginning CSS Web Development - if you
haven't begun the process of really learning CSS then you better get cracking. Web designers trained
in schools can't graduate if they create a website with tables. They can only graduate if they
create full blown css websites. So, don't get caught behind the 8 ball. Get cracking!
No matter what types of trucks are used in your business, take time to thank the truck drivers who help to get your products and/or services to your customers.
Host a special event or special coupon JUST for them!
Submit Your Article
Do you have an article
that you would like
to share with us?
One of the BEST ways to market your web site is to show the Internet audience that you
KNOW your stuff!
If you would like to write an article about any of the following topics and submit it to our Newsletter,
we would love to review it for inclusion in future issues.
Our topics of interest are...
Marketing (General)
Internet Marketing
Small Business Issues
Web Design
Web Hosting
Web site Programming
I've been racking my brains lately trying to figure out an easy solution to writing articles for my clients.
As many of you know, article marketing is a very productive way to market websites. After all, one article, submitted to several sites can then grow exponentially! And better yet, one article can continue bringing in new links even 2 years after they were written!
BUT, and it's a very big BUT! For many business owners and website owners, the act of writing articles is either too difficult or too time consuming, or both. So, what's a web marketer to do? How do I get articles written for my clients without breaking the bank?
Well, I may have come up with a solution, not sure. I came up with a questionnaire for clients to fill out. It's simple, just a few questions. The idea is to get some information from the client based on the keyword phrase that I want to market on their website.
So, take a look at my questionnaire and give me your feedback. I'd love to hear from you.
I receive so many questions about the types of tools that I use not only for Internet Marketing but also for business that I decided I should add a section to the newsletter about them. So, each month (or so) I'll try to add a new tool to this section. Of course, if you have any tools you would like to recommend, please let me know!
I have tried several online and offline methods of organizing my work. With so many unique tasks AND repetetive tasks, it was difficult to find ONE system or program that could accomodate reducing having to repeat tasks and at the same time allow me to create unique tasks.
Well, I finally found one. It's by Vitolab Software Company and it's called Alive Organizer. There are several software programs on this site so check them out!
What would possess a man to use Twitter through the birth of his twins?
Oddly enough, after a year-plus of blogblogblogging, we actually sort of get the impulse. But we're also confident that our BlackBerry would have been smashed into shards very soon into the process. And we wouldn't escape unscathed, either.
In any event we are fascinated to read today's running commentary from Kieran Hawe, who handles SEO for MTV Networks. You can get the whole thing, including links to photos of young Kamran and Alanna, at Kieran's Twitter stream. Great stuff. But we do hope he's kidding about the live streaming. Congrats to all.
Internet access via cell phones and other similar devices is extremely large throughout Europe and Asia, but has not quite caught on in the USA.
Read this article in the International Herald Tribune, for more information about cell phone use throughout the world.
My point is that eventually, the United States will catch on and will begin copying the Europeans and the Asians in their mobile Internet habits. So, what should you be doing to get ready?
Go .mobi
The extension, .mobi, is intended for websites on a mobile format, like cell phones. So, how do you go about getting your website ready for mobile use?
1) Purchase the .mobi version of your domain name. Go to your registrar, where you purchased your domain name and purchase the .mobi version. You should purchase it for at least 2 years.
2) Contact your website designer (or whoever is managing your website) and ask them to create a .mobi version of your website. To get an idea of what .mobi websites look like, check out mobinomy.com
3) Ask your website designer to add a link from your website to your .mobi version. Try to add the link at the top left hand corner of the website. Why? Because that is the section of your website that comes up on the cell phone. So, when a user reaches your website they'll be able to access the .mobi version quickly and easily.
Oh, and just so you know. Google is one of the biggest backers of promoting the .mobi concept. In fact, google.mobi looks like this on a cell phone,
Among the services we provide here at the worldwide headquarters of JDK Marketing Communications Management is the writing of press releases.
To that end, I’m working on a major publicity campaign for my client, Massage Envy, the nation’s leading massage therapy clinic available to the public. Massage Envy is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure to stage “Massage for the Cure” at all 18 of their clinics throughout North Carolina, all day September 15. (More info to come next month, but for now you can go to: http://massageenvy.com/massage-for-the-cure.aspx )
Of course, sending out press releases these days is usually done through e-mail. Which means catching the attention of the reader – likely the jaundiced eye of the media – with a compelling enough headline in the subject box to get the recipient to open it.
Welcome to another edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips from JDK Marketing Communications Management.
Here’s a fascinating take, excerpted here, on the craft of subject headline writing that appeared recently in The New York Times. Joanne Kaufman is the author.
“’P.R. people want to invest time in things that are going to get picked up, so they try to put something to the ‘who cares?’ and ‘so what?’ test,” said Kate Robins, a longtime public relations consultant. 'If you say something is first, most, fastest, tallest — that’s likely to get attention. If you can use the words like ‘money,’ ‘fat,’ ‘cancer’ or ‘sex,’ you’re likely to get some ink in the general audience media.'
“David Seaman, a P.R. stunt planner and the author of a book to be published in October, ‘Dirty Little Secrets of Buzz,’ is a proponent of ‘safe,’ ‘easy’ ‘secret,’ ‘trick’ and ‘breaking’ because they suggest that something is new and fresh, he said.
“The words that attract media attention change with the times. ‘Anything that speaks to long-term health risks is good these days, because there is a belief that there’s a lot of stuff out there harming us, from the cellphone on down,’ Mr. Adamson said. David B. Armon, the president of PR Newswire, a distribution service for public relations professionals, likens writing a news release to writing a headline for the front page of a newspaper: every word has to do heavy lifting.
“’It’s a lot more scientific than it used to be,’ Mr. Armon said, ‘because you’re not just trying to get media pickup, but to get search engine attention.’
“To aid in this endeavor, PR Newswire offers its members a so-called keyword density tool. “It lets you know the words someone would have to type into a search engine for your particular press release to be found, and helps put your release at the top of the search engine,” Mr. Armon said.
“’Green’ and ‘environment’ are huge right now, he said, as is ‘foreclosure.’ ‘We’ve done 412 press releases that incorporate that word so far in ’08, up from 261 last year.’ For the record, Mr. Armon added, the use of the word “toxic’ in news releases is up 5 ‘percent.
“Perhaps because many people in public relations are former journalists, they know what grates on the Fourth Estate. Mr. Gable, who was once the business editor of The San Diego Union, has compiled a list of words that will do a news release no good whatsoever, like ‘solutions,’ ‘leading edge,’ ‘cutting edge,’ ‘state of the art,’ ‘mission critical,’ and ‘turnkey.’
“Ken Sunshine, the head of a P.R. firm in Manhattan, said he thought the media had an institutional bias against ‘hype-y terms’ like ‘world renowned’ and ‘once in a lifetime,’ which he studiously avoids putting in his news releases. ‘But ‘unique’ is fine,’ he said, ‘if something really is unique.’ “
Well, we think we’re unique. So watch for this column again -- in the subject line, of course -- the first Tuesday of next month, for another PR-tinged edition of Not Your Usual Marketing Tips.
If you could hear grumbling sweeping over the landscape this week, it was likely the voices of professional and self made SEO types reacting to Google's most recent maneuver to put an end to automated tools hitting their servers. For those of you not in the know, there are a handful of tools (WebPosition being among the most prominent) that allow users to type in a list of keywords and check them against search results for Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, AOL, etc. Historically, this has been a tool used by SEO firms and others with online marketing responsibility to gauge the effectiveness of their organic optimization (and on occasion paid search management) efforts.
With Google being the primary search player (accounting for roughly 60 percent of all searches in the United States and even greater numbers overseas), this would seem to greatly decrease the value of these automated tools. How are the world's SEO practitioners to impress their clients now? The neatly automated monthly report that shows the fruits of our labor are now devoid of what the clients want to see most - Google rankings! Alas, these reports are no more. From Google's standpoint, they have two arguments. First, Google claims that automated traffic are a burden on their systems and slow things down for Joe Searcher. Fair enough. Secondly, by making it more difficult to track and test results, those of us "manipulating" the search engines with our efforts will likely have a slightly more difficult time figuring out Google's secret recipe.
I have used these tools in the past, and I will admit I was a little miffed at Google's seeming power play, though they've been threatening this for years. But more importantly, as I sifted through blogs and forums gauging the reaction of the general SEO populace, I found myself agreeing with a few voices in the minority. Several individuals spoke out loudly and defiantly that these reports are, for the most part, a waste of time. The truth is, there are far more important things to worry about than your reported rankings.
For example, as Google has gotten more sophisticated, they've added additional variables to the mix. Call your friend across the country and have them search for the same term as you. The results may be the same, or they may simply be similar. I have ran this experiment several times when I'm on the road by using remote desktop on my home computers. Google will continue to find ways to increase relevancy of searches, and this will most likely have a continued move towards localized results. As such, what's the point of a report you run for a client when they will run it on their own and see different results? Likewise, if you're selling a product nationally, but your report is not all that reflective of your positioning nationally?
Yes, increasing rankings will bring you in more traffic. I'm not dumb enough to say otherwise. However, it's been our focus at Netvantage to improve our company's bottom line. Period. So when we engage in paid search management, search engine optimization or web analytics with clients, we make it clear that the goals are business oriented, not rankings oriented. And, let's be honest, SEO practitioners are a resourceful lot, so those obsessed with mulling over rankings will likely have another way to do it soon. In the meantime, you are at the mercy of manual reporting and/or Google Webmaster Tools. Rather than dig through those reports, I think I will choose to spend my time on more value added activities.
50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs A Presence On
Note from TheSEOLady - Unless you hired someone to manage your social network sites, there's no possible way any business person can join ALL of these social media sites - BUT, do look over this excellent list and choose several social media sites that you can join and continue participating in.
Web sites to help your company network, advertise recruit and more.
50 Social Sites That Every Business Needs a Presence on
Web sites to help your company network, advertise recruit and more.
By Inside CRM Editors on January 28, 2008
digg_url = '
If your business limits its online presence to advertising banners and blogging, it's missing out. The Internet provides powerful networking opportunities that allow users to effectively target their audience by logging on to social sites like LinkedIn, Digg and more. Take advantage of these tools by asserting your company's presence online and reaching more potential customers, business partners and employees.
Social-Media/Social-Bookmarking Sites
Share your favorite sites on the Web with potential clients and business partners by commenting on, uploading and ranking different newsworthy articles. You can also create a member profile that directs traffic back to your company's Web site.
Reddit: Upload stories and articles on reddit to drive traffic to your site or blog. Submit items often so that you'll gain a more loyal following and increase your presence on the site.
Digg: Digg has a huge following online because of its optimum usability. Visitors can submit and browse articles in categories like technology, business, entertainment, sports and more.
Del.icio.us: Social bookmark your way to better business with sites like del.icio.us, which invite users to organize and publicize interesting items through tagging and networking.
StumbleUpon: You'll open your online presence up to a whole new audience just by adding the StumbleUpon toolbar to your browser and "channel surf[ing] the Web. You'll "connect with friends and share your discoveries," as well as "meet people that have similar interests."
Technorati: If you want to increase your blog's readership, consider registering it with Technorati, a network of blogs and writers that lists top stories in categories like Business, Entertainment and Technology.
Ning: After hanging around the same social networks for a while, you may feel inspired to create your own, where you can bring together clients, vendors, customers and co-workers in a confidential, secure corner of the Web. Ning lets users design free social networks that they can share with anyone.
Squidoo: According to Squidoo, "everyone's an expert on something. Share your knowledge!" Share your industry's secrets by answering questions and designing a profile page to help other members.
Furl: Make Furl "your personal Web file" by bookmarking great sites and sharing them with other users by recommending links, commenting on articles and utilizing other fantastic features.
Tubearoo: This video network works like other social-bookmarking sites, except that it focuses on uploaded videos. Businesses can create and upload tutorials, commentaries and interviews with industry insiders to promote their own services.
WikiHow: Create a how-to guide or tutorial on wikiHow to share your company's services with the public for free.
YouTube: From the fashion industry to Capitol Hill, everyone has a video floating around on YouTube. Shoot a behind-the-scenes video from your company's latest commercial or event to give customers and clients an idea of what you do each day.
Ma.gnolia: Share your favorite sites with friends, colleagues and clients by organizing your bookmarks with Ma.gnolia. Clients will appreciate both your Internet-savviness and your ability to stay current and organized.
Professional-Networking Sites
Sign up with these online networking communities as a company or as an individual to take advantage of recruiting opportunities, cross-promotional events and more.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a popular networking site where alumni, business associates, recent graduates and other professionals connect online.
Ecademy: Ecademy prides itself on "connecting business people" through its online network, blog and message-board chats, as well as its premier BlackStar membership program, which awards exclusive benefits.
Ryze: Ryze lets members organize contacts and friends; upcoming events; and even job, real-estate and roommate classifieds.
YorZ: This networking site doubles as a job site. Members can post openings for free to attract quality candidates.
Xing: An account with networking site Xing can "open doors to thousands of companies." Use the professional contact manager to organize your new friends and colleagues, and take advantage of the Business Accelerator application to "find experts at the click of a button, market yourself in a professional context [and] open up new sales channels."
Facebook: Facebook is no longer just for college kids who want to post their party pics. Businesses vie for advertising opportunities, event promotion and more on this social-networking site.
Care2: Care2 isn't just a networking community for professionals: It's touted as "the global network for organizations and people who Care2 make a difference." If your business is making efforts to go green, let others know by becoming a presence on this site.
Gather: This networking community is made up of members who think. Browse categories concerning books, health, money, news and more to ignite discussions on politics, business and entertainment. This will help your company tap into its target audience and find out what they want.
MEETin.org: Once you've acquired a group of contacts in your city by networking on MEETin.org, organize an event so that you can meet face-to-face.
Tribe: Cities like Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, New York and Chicago have unique online communities on tribe. Users can search for favorite restaurants, events, clubs and more.
Ziggs: Ziggs is "organizing and connecting people in a professional way." Join groups and make contacts through your Ziggs account to increase your company's presence online and further your own personal career.
Plaxo: Join Plaxo to organize your contacts and stay updated with feeds from Digg, Amazon.com, del.icio.us and more.
NetParty: If you want to attract young professionals in cities like Boston, Dallas, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Orlando Fla., create an account with the networking site NetParty. You'll be able to connect with qualified, up-and-coming professionals online, then meet them at a real-life happy-hour event where you can pass out business cards, pitch new job openings and more.
Networking For Professionals: Networking For Professionals is another online community that combines the Internet with special events in the real world. Post photos, videos, résumés and clips on your online profile while you meet new business contacts.
Niche Social-Media Sites
Consider linking up with one of these social-media sites to narrow down your business's target audience. You'll find other professionals, enthusiasts and consumers who are most likely already interested in what your company has to offer.
Pixel Groovy: Web workers will love Pixel Groovy, an open-source site that lets members submit and rate tutorials for Web 2.0, email and online-marketing issues.
Mixx: Mixx prides itself on being "your link to the Web content that really matters." Submit and rate stories, photos and news to drive traffic to your own site. You'll also meet others with similar interests.
Tweako: Gadget-minded computer geeks can network with each other on Tweako, a site that promotes information sharing for the technologically savvy.
Small Business Brief: When members post entrepreneur-related articles, a photo and a link to their profile appear, gaining you valuable exposure and legitimacy online.
Sphinn: Sphinn is an online forum and networking site for the Internet marketing crowd. Upload articles and guides from your blog to create interest in your own company or connect with other professionals for form new contacts.
BuzzFlash.net: This one-stop news resource is great for businesses that want to contribute articles on a variety of subjects, from the environment to politics to health.
HubSpot: HubSpot is another news site aimed at connecting business professionals.
SEO TAGG: Stay on top of news from the Web marketing and SEO (search-engine optimization) industries by becoming an active member of this online community.
General Social-Media Sites
The following social-media sites provide excellent opportunities for businesses to advertise; promote specials, events or services; and feature published, knowledgeable employees.
Wikipedia: Besides creating your own business reference page on Wikipedia, you can connect with other users on Wikipedia's Community Portal and at the village pump, where you'll find conscientious professionals enthusiastic about news, business, research and more.
Newsvine: Feature top employees by uploading their articles, studies or other news-related items to this site. A free account will also get you your own column and access to the Newsvine community.
43 Things: This site bills itself as "the world's most popular online goal setting community." By publicizing your company's goals and ambitions, you'll gain a following of customers, investors and promoters who cheer you on as you achieve success.
Wetpaint: If you're tired of blogs and generic Web sites, create your own wiki with Wetpaint to reach your audience and increase your company's presence online. You can easily organize articles, contact information, photos and other information to promote your business.
Frappr: Embed a Frappr map and guestbook into your company's Web page so that you can pinpoint exactly how users find your site, discover in real-time what they have to say about your company profile and services, and create an "interactive, fun and engaging" spot for visitors.
Yahoo! Answers: Start fielding Yahoo! users' questions with this social-media Q&A service. Search for questions in your particular areas of expertise by clicking categories like Business & Finance, Health, News & Events and more. If you continue to dole out useful advice and link your answer to your company's Web page, you'll quickly gain a new following of curious customers.
Job Sites
If you want to secure high-quality talent during your company's next hiring spree, you'll need to maintain a strong presence on popular job sites like the ones listed below.
CareerBuilder.com: Reach millions of candidates by posting jobs on this must-visit site.
The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal: The Wall Street Journal's CareerJournal attracts well-educated professionals who are at the top of their game. Post a job or search résumés here.
CollegeRecruiter.com: If your firm wants to hire promising entry-level employees, check CollegeRecuriter.com for candidates with college degrees.
Monster: Post often to separate your business from all the other big companies that use this site to advertise job openings.
Sologig: Top freelancers and contractors post résumés and look for work on this popular site.
AllFreelance.com: This site "offers self-employed small business owners links to freelance & work at home job boards, self-promotion tips" and more.
Freelance Switch Job Listings: Freelance Switch is the freelancer's online mecca and boasts articles, resource toolboxes, valuable tips and a job board.
GoFreelance: Employers looking to boost their vendor base should check GoFreelance for professionals in the writing, design, editing and Web industries.
Yahoo! Hot Jobs: This site is often one of the first places that job seekers visit. Post open opportunities and check out informative articles and guides to gain insight on the hiring and interviewing process.
Guru.com: Build your company's repertoire with top freelancing professionals by advertising projects on this site, otherwise known as "the world's largest online service marketplace."
Do you have an Internet Marketing Idea or Tip you would
like to share?
William Slawski wrote a very good entry on the importance of page layout in SEO. To emphasise his point he pointed out to the patent application filed by Kesari and Anandsudhakar in August of 2006 and that was recently published last month. The patent application entitled “Techniques for approximating the visual layout of a web page and determining the portion of the page containing the significant content” is obviously used to help Yahoo! find the parts of a web page that contains the more important content. It seems that at least Yahoo! does determine the importance of the contents of the page based on the page layout, and if Yahoo! does this I guess it is safe to conclude that Google and the other search engines have their own if not similar method of determining the importance of the content based on page layout.
What this means for SEOs is simply that we should emphasise to clients the importance of placing keywords and phrases in the main part of the site. It is also more important to try to get linked to by other sites not just on the sidebar but the actual main section of the site. In short, it is better to be mentioned in a blog post than to be included in a blogroll and most definitely over being placed on the footer. As the abstract of the patent says
So remember it is not only the position but also the amount of content in that certain position that affects how search engines interpret the importance of that section of the page.
Furthermore, though most of us do this already, always remember that it is good practice to emphasise keywords by using a larger font size, putting it in boldface, or changing its color.
Feel free to pass this this newsletter on to others who
are interested in SEO! If you are not on our subscription list, complete our form and subscribe today! Eckweb
Designs, Inc. is committed to protecting your privacy, we do not share or sell our email lists with anyone.
As a client of Eckweb Designs, Inc. you automatically are subscribed to this newsletter. However, if you
wish to unsubscribe -- send us an email to: unsubscribe@theseolady.com
Or, if you wish to unsubscribe by mail: send us a postcard to:
Eckweb Designs, Inc.
1323 Riverview Run Lane
Suwanee, GA 30024
If you have suggestions on improving this newsletter, please email us at info@theseolady.com
