Pimp My Keywords

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 85

Now is the time to get your website and social media efforts in gear for 2010.

No more delays.

No more excuses.

Before the holidays arrive, let's plans some goals and some projects for the new year. Ready?

1. Evaluate your company's website. What's the message? What is the call to action? Does the content need to be updated? Do you have a page for articles and press releases? Does your site have social media badges (to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)?
2. Evaluate your website's targeted keywords and content. Is the right audience finding your website in Google and other search engines? Are you promoting old articles and press releases from more than year old?
3. In reference to search engine optimization (SEO) and content, how are your keywords doing? Invest some time into keyword digging with the Google Keyword Research Tool, Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery. Once you have selected your targeted research, write some better content.
4. Write a blog. You need to get this going. Now.
5. Participate in a Pay Per Click campaign with Google, Bing or Facebook.
6. Keep your eye on Bing. It's a good place to start if you are trying out your first Pay Per Click campaign.
7. How are your local rankings? Are you targeting local customers? Regional customers? National customers? All of them?
8. Are you listed in Google Maps? You should be. It's free.

Don't let another year go by without taking advantage of your website's potential. Start today and get ready for 2010.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 84

A few search engine optimization considerations as we close out 2009 and prepare for 2010.

First, real-time search is upon us as social media posts - including our "Tweets" from Twitter - are being picked up by Google in search results.

This feature is good for those who conduct searches looking for up-to-the-minute results. However, early opinion is this feature is not going to be popular with businesses who are not generating content for their website or for social media.

Now, more than ever, content is truly king.

Second, remember to keep your Page Titles and Page Descriptions keyword-rich and strong.

Third, your website's download time is going to be an important factor. Slow sites frustrate users and you'll score lower with Google.

Fourth, keep your website's content updated and fresh.

Fifth, continue to seek quality inbound links; relevancy is important.

Get More Traffic By Sharing

According to ShareThis.com, many of its publishers are seeing an increase in traffic by simply doing one thing: sharing.

ShareThis.com says that sharing can:

• Make up 5-10% of your overall traffic.
• Make up 15-30% of your search traffic.
• Drive 25-50% more engagement (page views/unique) than search.

More reasons why you should be sharing news, tips, information and other advise with your audience.

For more information, check out the ShareThis blog or Media Post News.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 83

Are you using Google Analytics on your website?

One of the challenges in using Google Analytics is to make sure it's properly installed on each page of your site. While Google's instructions may seem easy to most (install the code between the tags), here's a cool website that can help.

Just visit SiteScan to test properly installation of your Google Analytics code. The tool is free for up to 100 pages. Larger websites will need to upgrade to a paid version.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 82

Before you start to look ahead to big Internet sales in 2010, let's first review how your website fared in 2009.

Well? Be truthful, how was it?

Review your traffic numbers. Any increases as the year moved ahead? Did conversions and sales increase? How about those targeted keywords? Any ranked in the Top 10 search results of Google?

Now, before you get distracted by the upcoming holidays, is a great time to take inventory and look back to see what you did correctly. A quick review can help you get ready for 2010.

A few points to ponder:

• Consider a website update, especially your content. How old is it?
• Consider a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.
• Consider a pay per click (PPC) campaign.
• Consider social media (Facebook, Twitter, a blog, etc.). In case you didn't hear it, Google and Bing will be providing real-time search results which will include your social media posts.
• Consider a blog.

Start now and let's get ready for 2010.

Google Announces Real-Time Search

We knew it was only a matter of time, real-time that is, before Google started indexing Twitter and other social media messages for its search results.

Today, Google made it a reality.

"Now, immediately after conducting a search, you can see live updates from people on popular sites like Twitter and FriendFeed, as well as headlines from news and blog posts published just seconds before," Google posted on its blog.

"When they are relevant, we'll rank these latest results to show the freshest information right on the search results page."

Imagine that...real-time Google search results for posts in Twitter, Facebook, blogs, etc. Of course, Bing beat Google to the punch a few weeks ago.

Which social media posts will appear in search results?

According to Google's Amit Singhal, Google's real-time search offers not just a stream of data, but an organized stream filtered of spam and other irrelevant information. The key to keeping the updates relevant is that Google judges “author quality,” “probability of relevance” and “query hotness,” according to Singhal. “That’s what real-time search is all about,” he said.

How many are finally going to jump on the social media bandwagon now?

According to Google, users can click on "Latest results" or select "Latest" from the search options menu to view a full page of live tweets, blogs, news and other web content scrolling right on Google.

Also, you can filter results to see only "Updates" from micro-blogs like Twitter, FriendFeed, Jaiku and others. Latest results and the new search options are also designed for iPhone and Android devices.

In addition, Google added "hot topics" to Google Trends to show the most common topics people are publishing to the web in real-time. With this improvement and a series of other interface enhancements, Google Trends is graduating from Labs.

The new features will be rolling out in the next few days and will be available globally in English.

You can try them out today by visiting Google Trends and clicking on a "hot topic," which in most cases will bring you to a search results page with the new real-time feature.

SEO Tactics, Tips & Helpful Advice - No. 81

There are many ways to earn new links pointing to your website.

Remember, while content is "king" in search engine optimization, link building is "queen" and definitely plays a role.

Also, it's not about the quantity of inbound links, it's about quality.

Here are some good ways to build new links to your website:

• Reciprocal (trading) links. Don't go crazy here, but think strategically. The auto mechanic might want to trade links with the tire salesman or the body shop, etc. Consider trading links with business partners and good vendors. If you like their business and service, why not give them a link on your website (and maybe they will return the favor)?
• Directories. Look to industry-specific directories first. There are a ton of free directories. Again, a little bit goes a long way here, so use the "drip effect" of directory submissions.
• Paid Directories. Yes, Google has lowered the level of importance on a paid link, but I don't think you can go wrong with websites like Yahoo Directory, Best of the Web, Business.com, etc. 
• Writing articles. This is an excellent way to earn links and build your expert status at the same time. For example, sometimes I'll write an article for a website designer or an advertising agency. They allow me a short bio with a link back to my website. Everyone wins with this relationship. The website gets fresh content and I earn a link.
• Press Releases. Make sure they are worthy; no sales pitch and provide good information. Most press releases can get published with a link pointing back to your website. Have a reason for the press release; don't do one just for the sake of trying to get a sales brochure published on the Internet. It won't work.
• Blog and forum posts. Read a blog you like? Let the author know, but please offer more insight than "nice post" or "good idea." Blog writers know you're trying to get a link, so offer some good information, a question or a comment. Work for it!
• Give 'em something to link to! If you want someone to link to your website or blog, give them excellent content and great reasons why they should link to you. Offer a "white" paper; a download; a free trial; a free sample; a free consultation. Anything useful or helpful will earn links.