Pimp My Keywords

Understanding Content Marketing

It's ALL about content and content marketing when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). Our Part I video offers some insights and advice on content marketing and how you should approach content for your website.

 

 

How To Target Local SEO

Local businesses who need to attract more local customers to their restaurant, bookstore, auto repair shop, etc., need to focus on local keywords with their website, keywords, link building and map/listings website.

Using Karen's Flower Shop (a fictious florist in Cincinnati Ohio) as an example, let's explore a  strategy for local SEO.

Website

Althought it sounds simple, local businesses fail to mention their geographical location on their website. This should include your physical address (not a post office box) along with directions including full street names. Include your city, state and zip code along with necessary maps. If parking is a problem, mention nearby parking alternatives.

In addition, to focus more on local opportunities, our florist could write a blog on local events, local news or provide a directory of information on local hospitals, funeral homes, etc.

Think local, local, local.

Keywords

By utilizing a keyword research tool such as Wordtracker or the Google Keyword Tool, you should research to find targeted keywords on a local level.

For example, by researching keywords based on "Cincinnati Florist" using the Google Keyword Tool, we found these possible keywords:

Cincinnati florist
Cincinnati flowers
Cincinnati flower shop
Cincinnati flower delivery
flower delivery Cincinnati
Cincinnati flower
florist Cincinnati
flowers Cincinnati
flower shops Cincinnati
florist Cincinnati Ohio
florists in Cincinnati
flower shop Cincinnati
florists Cincinnati
florists in Cincinnati Ohio
Cincinnati florists delivery
florist in Cincinnati Ohio
flowers Cincinnati Ohio
Cincinnati flowers delivery
florist Cincinnati OH

Note: These keywords are all earning good monthly searching numbers according to Google. The above list only included a sample of the keywords we uncovered.

Once the targeted keywords have been selected, they needed to be utilized in the website's content. Granted, you don't want to force the keyword so it dumbs down your audience nor do you want to stuff the page with keyword after keyword after keyword. However, there's nothing wrong with "We're Karen's Flower Shop, a Cincinnati florist providing flowers and floral arrangements for any occasion."

Get it?

Keywords should also be utilized in Page Titles, Descriptions and image ALT tags.

Link Building

Once of the most important SEO elements is link building. Our florist business should be using link building internally (from page-to-page within the website) and externally in earning links from other websites pointing to Karen's website.

Internal links should be "anchor text links" which send users from page to page by clicking on linked keywords. For example, a link on the website's Home page could be "Cincinnati Flower Delivery" which would route the customer to an ordering page. Internal links on targeted keywords are just as important as external links.

Links pointing to your website, or to a specific page, from another website are also needed. There are many ways to earn inbound links in local communities including online membership lists; publicity; media; articles; blogs; review websites; maps, just to name a few.

Maps, Lists & Reviews

Maps, lists and review websites have become popular over the last year as more customers are voicing their opinions on good and bad products, service, experiences, etc., on every business in town.

First things, first. Make sure you have created accounts to "claim" your business listings in sites such as Yelp, CitySearch, YellowPages, Judy's Book, Google Places, Facebook Places, etc. You may find your business is already listed in some review sites, but the business owner (that would be you) hasn't claimed their business.

Once you have confirmed business ownership, you can then complete your business listing including business description; hours; method of payment; website; maps, etc. Include photos and a video if possible. With Google Places (and other websites), try to complete the entire profile.

Many listing and mapping websites allow reviews from customers. Always interact with your customers here (even the bad reviews). This shows you are monitoring your reviews and working to solve any problems. Thank everyone for their review (even the bad ones).

Yes, sometimes, competition and disgruntled employees will create fake reviews to try to discredit you and your business. In most cases, these "reviews" are violating the website's guidelines and can be removed upon request.

Follow these tips and you'll find your website moving up in local search results.

Four Advanced Google Analytics Tweaks

By Jordan Metts
Inetzeal

Successful bloggers, consultants and SEO Services make good use of the advanced features in Google Analytics (GA) and use scripts liberally. GA users monitoring multiple profiles need tweaks. When profiles number in the hundreds, finding the data you need becomes a hassle. This post helps solve that problem, and provides three other useful GA tweaks that will make your life easier.

1. Showing All Profiles Instantly

The default number of profiles you can display in GA ranges from 10 to 100. For those with several hundred profiles to manage, clicking "Show 100" all the time becomes repetitive. John Henson created a Greasemonkey script that addresses this problem. Greasemonkey is available here if you do not have it installed already. His show100.user.js script displays all profiles at once.

The script takes note of certain URLs by location.href, adding ns=100 at the end of those URLs. If you have 10 or fewer profiles, however, the script does not add the ns=100 parameter. The final step is to get the Show 100 script. Greasemonkey prompts you to install the script, and you're done.

2. Fully Automated Link, File and Mailto Tracking

If you have read Brian Clifton's book, "Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics," you may recognize this hack. Normally, tracking downloads, mailto and outbound links requires adding onClick event handlers to "a" tags. Brian's script automates this process; get the latest version from his site here.

The tracking of downloads, mailto and outbound links requires the user to create virtual pageviews. Manually tagging hundreds of static, or even two dozen constantly fluctuating, virtual pageviews can now be an automated procedure with Brian's script. It creates event handlers by Document Object Model (DOM) to monitor non-standard pageview links, tracking them so you don't have to.

Two performance caveats: One, the script reads every link per page. It handles hundreds of links with ease, but for pages with a couple thousand links or more, the script takes more time. Two, a likely result of this is that if a visitor clicks a link before the script has loaded, GA does not track that click through.

3. Regionally Tracking Search Engines

Another helpful script from Brian Clifton is for SEO professionals managing regionally, requiring data on regional search engine variations. If you need data from not only MSN.com, but also MSN.co.uk, MSN.fr, and so on, this script is what you need. In the standard GATC, you can add a call to the script between "set account number" and "track pageview visit":

< script >
// load the ga.js file
< /script >
< script >
// set account number
< /script >
< script src="http://www.advanced-web-metrics.com/scripts/custom_se-ga.js" type="text/javascript">
< script>
// track pageview visit
< /script>
< /code>

Once the script runs, your Search Engine report under Traffic Sources will display many more regional search engines. Mr. Clifton notes that that script no longer works for the Yahoo search engine due to changes made by Yahoo.

For those with multiple GATCs, the script requires one quick alteration. The script reads "pageTracker._clearOrganic()", and should be changed into a list for it to work:

tracker1._clearOrganic();
tracker2._clearOrganic();
...etc...

4. Goal Conversion by Landing Page

Is it more important to improve a weakness or amplify a strength? Answer that question with this one. Can one enhance the strongest landing pages, the ones with the highest conversion rates, to also become the pages with the most traffic? Yes. Three strategies are necessary to achieve this:

First, budget for a more aggressive link building campaign for the strongest landing pages. Second, up your bids on keywords for the ads that point to those pages. Third, tactfully redirect traffic from other pages.

Lastly, looking at goal conversions based on landing page requires a custom report. Using the right GA scripts and studying the appropriate metrics, any website can make it far in the race to the top.

SEO and Social Media (Part II)

(Second of two parts reviewing how businesses should be using both SEO and social media as part of an integrated strategy)

By Steve Phillips
President
Purple Trout, LLC

You can gain an edge on your online competition by implementing a plan involving both search engine optimization (SEO) and social media.

Here's how:

• Incorporate your website's targeted keywords (developed from strategic research) into your social media profiles, content and updates. This will help improve your social media search results.
• Since search engines index social media content (Google and Bing index social media content in real time) it's possible your social media content might outrank your website content in search engine results. Always make sure your social media content links back to your website. Note: your social media links do not have to link back to your website's "home" page. Create links to page-specific content on your website.
• Social media helps with link building opportunities. Links to your website's pages can be added to social media profiles, updates, blog posts, bookmarking sites, etc. Take advantage of those link building opportunities.
• With RSS opportunities, you can pull your social media content into your website. Therefore, when you create a Facebook or Twitter post, for example, content "spaces" on your website are automatically updated with your new social media posts.

Update social media content opportunities frequently (at least once a day). There's always something to share about your industry and your business with your Fans and Followers.

SEO and Social Media (Part I)

(First of two parts reviewing how businesses should be using both SEO and social media as part of an integrated strategy)

By Steve Phillips
President
Purple Trout, LLC

Answer the following question:

Does your company need to spend more time on social media or SEO?

(a) Social Media

(b) SEO

(c) Neither

(d) Both

The correct answer is Both. If not, then your business is in the minority when it comes to integrating search with social media.

Integrating both:

• Increases the amount of SEO friendly content on the web.
• Generates the number of inbound links pointing to your website.
• Increases the number of results for your company in search engine result pages (SERPs).
• Improves the quality of your website traffic.
• Improves overall search performance.

Studies have found that businesses with an integrated strategy experience slight improvements in ranking position.

Marketing Sherpa reports that organizations that do both SEO and social media achieve a 59% better rate of conversion.

Ten Ways To Earn More Links

By Steve Phillips
President
Purple Trout, LLC

Since link building is a very important part of ongoing search engine optimization, we frequently are asked the following question:

"How do I get more links?"

Link building (also known as inbound links, linking, etc.) is the process by which another website, blog, social media account and/or other, creates a link pointing back to your website. While inbound links from high quality, relevant websites impress search engines, it is also important to note that effective link building generates more traffic to your website.

Here are 10 ideas on how to earn more inbound links:

1. Content is king, so write great content for your website, blog, etc.
2. Create an e-book or guide and give it away for free.
3. Write a white paper on an industry-related topic. It should be educational and helpful.
4. Write articles for your website.
5. Write articles for on-line magazines. Most sites will print a short bio with the article and allow a link back to your website.
6. Blog and blog frequently. Writing once a month or once a week isn't enough to get anyone's attention, let alone earn a link.
   
   
7. Write a guest blog.
8. Write a book or a manual and sell it.
9. Write press releases, but only as they specifically deal with your company or your industry.
   
   
10. Create and publish informational videos, podcasts and presentations.

Above all, be creative, informative and educational.

Each Web Page Is A Different SEO Opportuntiy

Every business would like to see their website ranked No. 1 in Google. 

However, you have more opportunities for higher rankings than you think as Google ranks web pages and not websites. Each page of your website is a separate opportunity for higher placement in search engines.

For example, let's say your website has 10 web pages with each page focusing on a different theme, product, service, etc. That's 10 different chances for higher search engine rankings. If you're targeting 10 keywords, then you can focus on one keyword per page.

Treat each page of your website like it's a one-page website. It should stand alone and be optimized on its own merit, content, keywords, links, etc. 

Too many times website owners try to stuff all their keywords on the home page. They cram the Page Title, content, ALT tags, links, etc. with a ton of keywords thinking "let's get my website ranked No. 1 in Google."

But what about the other pages? What keywords do you incorporate in those pages?

When potential customers are searching targeted keywords they want to "land" on the page with the correct information. If they don't, they'll click the browser's "back" button and try something else. This is true for search engines, social media, pay per click, etc.

The "purple widgets" page should target keywords about "purple widgets" and the "green widgets" page should target keywords about "green widgets" and so on. If you post a Tweet about "green widgets" the Twitter link should point to the "green widgets" page and not the home page of your website.

Improving content and optimization on each page of your website will greatly increase ranking opportunities, inbound traffic and conversions.

* * *

Purple Trout, LLC lives, sleeps, breathes and even eats search engine optimization. Visit our website for more information and to receive a free, no-obligation SEO Analysis of your company's website.

SEO vs. PPC

PPC - also known as Pay Per click - ends the day you stop paying the bill.

SEO - also known as Search Engine Optimization - lasts much longer. Anything you do for your website today (and tomorrow and the next day and so on...) will last forever. Any inbound links you earn pointing to your website will exist until the hosting site removes them. Content on your website can stay the same forever or until you decide to update it. 

 

 

Consumer Affairs Warns Of Small Business SEO Scam

It appears the slimy snake-oil SEO salespeople are at it again.

This time, according to Ryan Eslicker, of Consumer Affairs, the new scam involves SEO firms who claim they can remove negative comments from ConsumerAffairs.com.

Wrong.

These are probably the same scum-bags who make fake reviews on review websites and tell their clients that the more reviews they post the higher their website will appear in Google Places. It's not so much the number of review, but the quality of reviews.

If any SEO firm makes a guarantee or a promise, you should run. Honest and ethical SEO firms will pride themselves in following the rules and guidelines set forth by search engines.

This, from Consumer Affairs:

"Recently, we started receiving a rash of complaints from small business owners concerning illegitimate SEO consulting companies they have used.

"These small business owners are paying hundreds (in some cases thousands) of dollars to have these SEO consulting companies remove negative comments from ConsumerAffairs.com.

"However, these small businesses are being taken advantage of -  ConsumerAffairs has no relationship with these SEO firms and there is no way for them to remove comments/reviews about their firms from our site.

"ConsumerAffairs is very concerned that small businesses are being mislead by these SEO firms, and we are trying to get the word out through small business resource blogs, such as yours.

"I do not know if you have heard about this scam, but we hope you can help us get the word out and possibly even blog about this.  We recently published an article about this if you would like to read more about this topic http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2011/04/bogus-complaint-removal-sites-prey-on-small-businesses.html

"Also, in response to these complaints, we have launched the ConsumerAffairs.com Accredited Business Program.  Under this program we alert the small business owner when a consumer submits a review/complaint, and the company is given the ability to respond to the consumer. 

"ConsumerAffairs realizes the majority of SEO firms do incredible work for small businesses and in no way are we grouping these illegitimate firms with all SEO firms."

Focus On What Won't Change

I've been reading "Rework" by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson, founders of 37signals. It's a quick - but good - read on starting a new business, etc.

However, these words really fly off the page:

"Focus on what won't change. A lot of companies focus on the next big thing. They latch on to what's hot and new."

Kind of like social media.

There are some 50,000 local social media "experts" in every town throwing around big words like "brand" and "image" and "analytics" while checking in via Foursquare at Starbucks with 10 others followed by a "Tweet" and a "Follow Friday" and a "Re-Tweet." 

Boring - and, frankly, a complete waste of time.

It doesn't matter what you're saying if no one's listening.

Note: Some social media "experts" can't go through a day without giving everyone a traffic update; raindrop count; checking in at every restaurant and bathroom in town, followed by details of everything in between including indigestion, puppy updates and what Johnny did at school today. It's all worthless crap that's adding to the noise that's been generated.

At Purple Trout, we focus on one thing: search engine optimization.

SEO is the practice by which we help our clients earn higher rankings in Google, Bing and other search engines.

We do a little bit of of our own social media (very little) and, while we do help some clients with social media, our work is directly connected with our clients' SEO efforts.

Does social media work? Sometimes, but it's not for every business.

Yes, Facebook's still hot. That's it. You don't need to hire an "expert" to start a Facebook Page.

It's still all about getting found. Don't forget that.

Keep working on your website. Write a Blog. Improve your content. Work on earning inbound links. These elements help earn higher rankings in Google and other search engines.

Your potential customers could care less that you're the mayor of Subway.

Quit chasing your tail with the latest social media gimmick and quit listening to the social media "experts."