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Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Top 10 - Local SEO
Here’s just a short little guide that can hopefully set you on the right path to begin having your website turn up for local search results ABOVE your competition:
- Optimize your site for a certain keyword, product, prospective customers, and geography. It is important that these four factors are balanced, just like a chair would be very unstable if one leg is missing. Forget about what most folks say regarding keyword density, you are writing for your customer, not for the search engines. If you’re just a pizza shop in Detroit don’t repeat ‘cheap pizza’ over and over again, instead actually provide a description of your shop, where it’s located and what you offer.
- Plan your website so that it’s comfortable to navigate. Seriously, this is a important one. You’d be amazed at how many websites I see that are complete tragedies when it comes to navigation and site links. Also – I’m not the only one who finds this as annoying, believe it or not so does Google. Simplicity is your friend when it comes to designing your website.
- Get your website indexed in local search engines as well as in the big three: Google local, Yahoo local, and Bing. Getting indexed is completely different than being ranked. I know this should probably not be on the checklist because it’s so basic, but some people don’t understand the difference. When your site is indexed on a search engine that just means it has a record of every page on the site (and will use that record to determine what each page is actually about). Ranking is, well…just what you think it is. You can’t just start at the top as far as ranking is concerned, but you can definitely skip some painful SEO steps once you’ve made sure that the site is actually showing up on search engines. TIP: To make sure your website is indexed, type in the entire domain name in quotes and see if it shows up. If not, then they have no record of your website.
- Rank your site locally for specify keywords targeted to your local community. How to do this? You can do keyword substitutions or combinations with the places that you are targeting. Here’s an example: If you’re trying to rank for a plumbing service based in Dallas, TX, use keyword phrases like ‘Dallas Plumbing’ or even a more localized phrase that involves what neighborhood, street, etc.. that is more specific than all of Dallas (i.e “Highland Park Dallas Plumbing”).
- Get your site listed in local directories. Drop your links to as many local directories you could find but make it sure that the website directory is relevant to your product and services.
- Build links to get your site ranked well for a certain keyword. Don’t do too much at first because search engines would treat you as a spammer. Do it naturally while you participate in WEB 2.0 sites.
- Take advantage of the social networking sites. There are local SEO for social media optimization. Build contacts and friends and be an authority in your niche product or services.
- List your site on all the major map services – Google maps, mapquest, etc… Put your target main keywords and a good description of your business. What’s very important in this step is that you use the SAME format for displaying your address and business name on every site that you list it on. For example: “BOB’s Electronics” is different than “Bobs Electronics.” So is “100 Ford Street” vs. “100 Ford St.”
- Install analytics software on your website. This is something that you need to do before you even think about launching the site. There are hundreds of free services, including Google Analytics, that can help you achieve this but it’s essential that you’re tracking the users who view your site. It’ll provide you with research on how they’re searching for it, allowing you to adapt your local seo tactics so your customers will find you faster.
- Be innovative in your online marketing strategies, always be researching your competitors to see what they’re doing, where they’re listed and how they’re listing themselves. Once they notice you’re above them when people search for a local pizza shop because of local SEO they’re bound to try and compete with you.
Google updates it's "Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide
Google has released its updated “Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide” e-book in pdf format. This guide is updated and designed for the webmasters to make themselves updated with search engine optimization, so that they could improve their website interaction with users and search engines both.
As published on the Official Google Webmaster Central blog, The updated new version of
Here’s the list of contents in “Google SEO Starter Guide” e-book:
- Create unique and accurate page titles.
- Make use of the “description” meta tag.
- Improve the structure of your URLs.
- Make your site easier to navigate.
- Offer quality content and services.
- Write better anchor text.
- Optimize your use of images.
- Use heading tags appropriately.
- Make effective use of robots.txt.
- Be aware of rel=”nofollow” for links.
- Notify Google of mobile sites.
- Guide mobile users accurately.
- Promote your website in the right ways.
- Make use of free webmaster tools.
You can download the updated Google SEO Starter Guide from the download link: “http://www.google.com/webmasters/docs/search-engine-optimization-starter-guide.pdf“
I have an idea...
Most people who know me know I drive a lot. About 4000 miles a month.
Which puts me at the gas station more than I'd like to be. You know how they refuel fighter planes mid air? ....
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Which puts me at the gas station more than I'd like to be. You know how they refuel fighter planes mid air? ....
Sunday, October 3, 2010
So You Want To Move To Hawaii! Here are Some Tips!
This article will go over some of the main things you need to consider. Where To Live Where to live depends largely on your reasons for moving to Hawaii. If you want a high paying job then you probably should move to Oahu. Do you want to surf big waves, then you will probably choose one of the northern shores. Do you want to live in a rainforest – maybe you should check out Volcano on the Big Island. If you like remote coastal areas you should visit Hāna, Maui and see if it is your cup of tea. After you have thought about the type of place you want to live and what your requirements are, then visit a few different islands and get a sense of what each area is like. While you are searching for the best placer to live you might want to rent a temporary place just to have a base camp from which you can do your research. For the best places to stay in the Islands, and at the most reasonable prices, see Hawaiian Beach Rentals. You may also want to check out job listings online and in local papers to get a sense of the opportunities available in particular areas. Also do some research on cost of living and see what stores are near the area where you are considering. Some very beautiful but remote areas may have only a few stores and they are very expensive. Home prices and rental prices may also be high near larger cities such as Honolulu, though if you can can shop at a Costco, Wal-Mart, or other discount store it will help you control your costs. What To Bring When you move to Hawaii don’t bring too many personal belongings. Many of the things you may have needed on the mainland, or wherever else you are moving from, may not be needed in the Islands where the lifestyle is generally much simpler. Clothing needs are also less in the Islands. Most people just wear short pants and a light shirt most of the time. If you rent a place that is furnished, it may also be equipped with pots and pans and kitchen needs so you won’t need to bring these items. You may wish to mail some of your belongings to Hawaii via parcel post, and these boxes will take about three to five weeks to arrive. Don’t forget to bring your personal documents with you. When you travel keep them on your person or in your carry-on luggage. It is best to get a Hawaii Driver’s License as soon as possible after you arrive, as this may also help you get locals-only deals on various things. Transportation You may want to ship your car here to avoid the hassle of having to find a good one. Another good reason to ship a car is that cars rust easily and quickly in the Islands, so bringing a car from the mainland can at least give you a fresh start. If you rust proof your vehicle and keep it clean you can prevent the rust from taking hold. Shipping an average car cost about $1,000. Check the prices and requirements online at matson.com. You can also get around using public transportation (the city bus) on most parts of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, and Hawaii Island (the Big Island). You can view bus routes online: Oahu at www.thebus.org Maui at the County of Maui website Kauai at the County of Kauai website Big Island at the County of Hawaii website. Taxi service is also available on all of the Hawaiian Islands including Lānai and Molokai. Pets Another concern when you are moving to the Hawaiian Islands is bringing your pet with you. Because Hawaii has strict laws regarding the importation of pets, research this process well in advance – four to five months – so your animal can avoid a lengthy quarantine. Investigate Hawaii’s Animal Quarantine Information so you can follow all of the proper steps. Renting or Buying a Home or Apartment Renting a place to stay can range anywhere from about $500 a month for a small studio to $2,000 a month or more for an average house. Prices have come down a lot in the last two years as the economy has seen a general downturn. If you are looking to buy a home, this is a good time since there are historically low interest rates available and even an $8,000 government tax credit. Home prices in Hawaii have been dropping steadily and may be reaching a bottom, making this a perfect time to buy. The best website to use when searching online for real estate is Hawaiilife.com because it is backed up by a respected team of real estate professionals in partnership with a local marketing firm that prides itself on customers service. Those are some general tips that will help you prepare for your move to the Hawaiian Islands. Don’t forget that the best places to stay in the Islands, and at the most reasonable prices, can be found atHawaiian Beach Rentals. If you are considering moving to the Hawaiian Islands you probably have lots of questions. Where will you live? What should you bring? What about transportation, rentals, pets?
Saturday, October 2, 2010
SEO, Rankings and the way people search.
Where you rank in search engines matters equally as much as which keywords you rank for; however, you should not confuse rankings, relevance or search behavior when targeting keywords for a new or seasoned SEOcampaign.
Search Behavior and Keyword Selection
With the multi-faceted metrics responsible for producing a top search engine ranking, the last thing or rather one of the worst things you can do is tofocus solely on one phrase and expect it to bring server-taxing salvation to your website from eager consumers.
While the two most prominent metrics responsible for producing rankings (without links) are domainand page authority combined with the degree of relevance and trust a page or website has within a particular space.
Try not to confuse one metric for the other, search engine trust is needed to get on the grid and to be considered a contender (as older websites are oftengrandfathered into search results), but keep in mind that relevance, on page (page strength) such as how many internal links and anchor text are consolidated to a page internally and deep links (links from other websites) are the SEO trifecta which often decides who ranks where and for what.
The framework I am attempting to evoke here is (1) once a website gains enough trust (2) citation or (3) on page authority it is not easy for others to discern which of those metrics are responsible for spearheading the rise to the top in search engines.
A website with thousands of carefully cultivated pages need only add a new page and provide a handful of select internal links from other pages which either (a) rank for a fraction of the keyword intended for the target page or (b) have enough dormant authority to add weight (like a wildcard ranking credit) to the new target page as a result of the overlapping elements that comprise the page providing the link (trust, or a volumes of inbound links to that page).
The premise of link flow is simple, consolidate link equity in a site while cultivating enough on page signals (through ball rolling pages with internal links) while simultaneously aging the pages (like grapes to wine) until your page or domain has enough authority to cross the tipping point.
Despite all of the analogies, clichés and clever puns in this post, the reality is, tactics based on these strategies are responsible for capturing uber competitive keywords regardless of if it’s a niche, segment, market or industry.
On the tail end of this conversation, another“equally as important” consideration at present is to map mid-tail (competitive 2-3 word phrases) and long-tail phrases (key phrases containing 4 or more words) to rank above the fold (in the top 3 positions in search engines).
This is due to the fact that as search behavior is remolded to correspond to shifts in technology“such as Google Instant”, many of the traditional keyword research, advertising modalities and quite simply – the way people find information has shifted.
So, the more specific and niche oriented your queries are crafted (in conjunction with the process of selection) being captured and fed into the Instant Engine (to auto suggest keywords, queries and clusters) will also result in people finding pages from a broader array of unsuspecting keyword combinations (you may or may not have optimized).
At first thought, will “Google Instant” and the auto suggest feature cannibalize most long-tail keywordsand suggest shorter more succinct alternatives (perhaps) but not everyone uses Google instant, not will that discourage someone from conducting a more thorough search “to get what they set out for”.
Long-tail keywords have a distinct advantage; thepeople using them know what they want and they don’t necessarily want noise (alternative key phrases) to diffuse their search and ranking for those keywords are more lucrative (despite the lack of search volume) since they are from people who are willing to purchase and are laced with commercial intent.
My suggestions for search are to:
1. Embrace an approach of hedging your primary keyword selection.
2. Finding relevant off shoots of lucrative keywords (by using Google Instant, Related Searchor Wonder Wheel) to find which alternatives they are funneling traffic to… and
3. Optimize targeted landing pages (with a distinct conversion objective above the fold) to increase ROI while spreading the semantic array of catch-all keywords driving relevant traffic and more business to your pages.
Friday, October 1, 2010
You found this site. Maybe I know a thing or two about seo... Just maybe.
Let's take lemons and make lemonade... Something to think about.
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