Quality Content Helps Keep Your Website Safe From Google Updates. This is Part 1 of a series about keeping your website safe from the infamous Google updates while also serving your customers. Online business owners cringe when they hear about a new Google update. Always one for secrecy, Google gives out very few clues about whose sites will be penalized and why. Some website owners report no change in their search engine rankings while others disappear off the grid. One thing is for certain: when Google says “Jump!” Content is Still King It seems redundant to say this yet again but the fact remains that high quality, unique content is what will keep your site from falling off the Google map. What is considered high quality content? Of course, internet writing is a bit more casual but the above outline is easy enough for anyone to follow. I’ve read plenty of articles from ghostwriters and freelance writers where at the end of the article I’m asking, “What was this article about?”
Don’t Forget Multimedia Content. Best “Events” Sites for Local Search Citations, Links, and Visibility. People say “publicity stunt” as though it’s a bad thing. But it can be a great thing for your local-search visibility – particularly your local rankings in Google. Maybe stunt is too strong a word. What I mean to say is holding any kind of public event at your business is a great way to get more visible to customers in the local search results. I wrote this post to answer a simple question: If I hold a public event at my business and want to spend a little time publicizing it, which “events” sites can help my local search rankings? A public event you hold at your business can be a great source of citations and links, which can help your local rankings big-time. It could be it a charity fundraiser, an hour-long how-to workshop, or an informal pow-wow with other business owners in your area. Still, you’ll want every quality citation and link you can get, especially if you’re in a really competitive local market.
Your event doesn’t need to be Woodstock 2012. (Download the Excel spreadsheet) Patch. 25-website-must-havesebook.pdf. 7 Sins of SEO Copywriting. The 7 Sins of SEO Copywriting from Wordtracker, the leading keyword research tools Are you an SEO copywriting "sinner"? You may think that your writing is so SEO-perfect that the Google angels sing when they spider it. But are you sure that your angelic writing doesn't contain some devilish SEO content mistakes? If you're writing content using outdated or incorrect strategies, you may be committing sins without even realizing it.
Don't put your content (and conversions) at risk. Thou shalt not write to a certain word count because "it's how you have to do it for Google. " A very common misconception is that your web pages should be a certain word count "for Google. " Thou shalt not focus on a keyword density percentage. Please, can we let this one die? Thou shalt not upload crap writing just because you can. Sure, the Panda update did downgrade of a lot of "thin," poorly-written page that were stuffed with keyphrases. Everything you write should focus on "what's in it for the reader.
" What Everyone Needs To Know About Good, Bad & Bland Links. Links are always a popular topic, and this year has proven no exception including Penguin, links vs. social media, negative SEO and disavowing links. Recently, someone asked me to distinguish between good links and bad links. First, there are really three types of links: Links that help SEOLinks that hurt SEOLinks search engines ignore Google and Bing have been clear, search engines do not use every link as a ranking signal; they ignore many links. While they are not going to tell webmasters which specific links matter and which ones they ignore, the search engines do share generous amounts of information concerning what types of links they deem beneficial, manipulative or ineffective.
We can also apply our understanding of how search engines operate to apply a little deductive reasoning. Pretty much anything you can quantify, you can place on a distribution curve. I am not going to get into standard deviations, types of ratios or degrees of freedom. A Closer Look At Different Types Of Links. 5 Ways to Promote Your Social Media Efforts OFFline. This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.
The real world is often overlooked when small businesses try to raise awareness of their online efforts. But with a few clear exceptions, people still do most of their living offline. Physical space can be as good of a place as any to advertise your website, social media accounts and blogs. There are a bevy of creative ways to get your online properties in people's offline views, and we've got the photographic evidence to prove it. These seven strategies will help you kick-start your brainstorm for the perfect offline efforts for your online strategy. If you've already dabbled in promoting your social media efforts offline, let us know which ways were successful in the comments below. Don't forget links to pictures! 1. Jeweler Samuel Gordon ran this full-page magazine ad in a local publication. 2. 3. 4. 5. (52) The Corcoran Group. Aligning SEO Strategy & Social Media Activity to Build Links.
One of the most underappreciated aspects of SEO is the necessary alignment of SEO strategy with social media activity. If SEO and social media teams work in silos and don't communicate nearly enough, they can't form a well-coordinated, comprehensive marketing plan. Therefore, it's extremely important that SEO is integrated into social media activity. What follows are some specific tactics that can be used to increase the impact that your social media activities have on SEO performance.
Using Social Media for Link Development It's no secret that social media has become increasingly important from an SEO standpoint as the engines have incorporated social signals (e.g., likes, shares, views, etc.) into their ranking algorithm. And as Google+ has become integrated into Google search results and Facebook data into Bing, the direct correlation between what happens in social media and what folks see in their search results has become more obvious. Aligning Your Blogging for SEO & Social Summary. Social Media ROI: How To Define a Strategic Plan.
As marketers are tasked with the challenge of doing less with more, there's an increasing demand to quantify the value of social media. Here's a guide to mapping a social media strategy with meaningful key performance indicators (KPIs) that align to business objectives for tangible measurement! Following the Social Media Strategy Funnel Quantifying the value of social media can be a daunting task.
Unclear objectives and numerous metrics add confusion. It's time to ground your social media initiatives with a strategic plan that makes measurement clear and easy. Start by following the social media strategy funnel. "80 percent of marketers incorrectly begin with tactics instead of goals. " Like most marketers, you probably began using social media because it was new and fun. Confess already. Stop the madness! Mapping a Social Media Strategic Plan Start social media planning like any other strategic plan.
Note: Red circles depicted on the chart above denote the step number below. Next Steps... 5 Ridiculously Sneaky Citations Most Small Business Never Think to Get! So I was reading Professor Maps blog post today on whether citations help Google rankings? It’s a great post and there is lots of good dialogue going on in the comment section (as per usual) so be sure to check it out. The post inspired me to share my thoughts on this subject. So the question is: Do citations help Google rankings? Answer: Hell, yes! Just like backlinks not all citations or mentions of your local business are created equal. There are already a ton of great posts on where to get the basic top 100 citations and/or review site mentions and I don’t want to publish yet another post on that matter. If you want to know the top citations based on city then visit this page.
Step One – Think Outside The Box! Citations are hell a lot more effective and can provide some serious signals to Google when you think outside the box. 1. Organize local social events: There are ton of high authority sites that allow you to post local events. 2. Post job postings. 3. 4. 5. The 25 Questions Your Site Must Answer. How long will a user stay on your site before leaving? Unless you can prove, quickly, that your site is trustworthy and relevant to their needs, we’re talking seconds. Maybe. When a customer lands on your site for the first time, they’re coming to you with questions.
Questions that they may not even realize they’re on the hunt to answer, but they are. As consumers we’re all looking for subconscious clues that the site we’re on is going to meet our needs, that we’ll have a good experience, and that we can trust them with our credit card information. What is a first-time visitor asking themselves when they land on your site? Where is your search box? And the list goes on. Is your heart racing a bit more rapidly having read through all that? So, using the questions above as a Trustworthiness Checklist. Image credit: steph79 / 123RF Stock Photo. YouTube Ranking Factors - Whiteboard Friday. This week for Whiteboard Friday we are taking a look at how to get a video to rank on YouTube.
Each month YouTube receives over 800 million unique visitors who watch more than 3 billion hours of video, traffic we can't afford to ignore. So how do you get videos to rank for competitive terms on YouTube? By paying close attention to these 12 important ranking factors. Do you agree with these? Disagree? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below. Hi, my name is Jeff McRitchie from MyBinding.com, and today we're going to be talking about how to get your videos to rank better on YouTube and specifically YouTube ranking factors. Guest Blogging - Enough is Enough. If your process chart looks like this, prepare for complete failure. Guest blogging is not a strategy, and it’s not a generic solution that can be applied to every client or every part of your site. Guest posts can be an effective supplemental tactic to a fully-formed strategy, but giving this tactic center stage is a recipe for frustration and inevitable defeat.
On-page factors don’t pack the same punch they once did. Search engines have become much better at both compensating for imperfect site optimization and ignoring on-page tricks. Our collective focus began shifting towards off-page factors long ago; it’s all about those tender, juicy links. There are as many ways to get links as there are people and pages, but in the aftermath of Penguin, guest articles are slowly becoming an industry default. I raised the issue of guest posting to someone who has done a lot of it - Distilled's head of Outreach, Adria Saracino: "Guest posting is safe" ...
Diminishing Returns at Best “Hello! Google Places iOS App Becomes Google+ Local. The rebranding of Google Places continues. Google has released iOS version 1.4 of what was called the Google Places app, but is now known as Google+ Local. The Android version of the Google Places app was also updated this week. The name change follows along with Google’s May 30th announcement that Google Place Pages on the web were being replaced by Google+ Local Pages. The new iOS app isn’t just a name change, though. There are a few functionality and display changes, too. Just like the web version of Google+ Local, the iOS app now includes Zagat business information — the rating score, reviews and an overall summary (when available) of the business.
The new app also supports voice search, and Google says it’s improved the way users can search for businesses outside their immediate location. The Google+ Local app is available now in the iTunes App Store. Related Topics: Channel: Mobile | Google: Maps & Local | Google: Mobile. 30 Free Ways To Market Your Small Business Site. Are you looking for ways to market your small business website with a limited budget?
Whether it’s with established sites such as Google and Facebook, or newer outlets like Pinterest, there are plenty of options available to promote your site. There are at least 30 ways to market your website with a time investment and no credit card required. Some of these are oldies but goodies, while others are newer and exciting avenues you may not have tried out yet. Here are 30 things you can do today to get started marketing your website for free. Press releases still work. Granted a submission to PRWeb or a Vocus account make the pickup and link benefit much easier, but those cost dollars – so for this article lets reiterate the best free press release sources: Send the press release to your local media outlets, or any niche media outlets that may be interested in what you do.Claim, verify, and update your Google Local Business listing.
There you have it – 30 ways to market your website. What Google Analytics Metrics Should You Monitor? | Manta Marketing Center. Create an event - Google+ Social and Mobile Marketing for Small Businesses. Twitter for Business. Social Media Marketing Mistake Every Small Business Makes.
You constantly extend your virtual handshake in every possible direction... yet no one embraces it. Very few people follow, connect, or "like" you. Why? Simple: You're looking in the wrong mirror. This is the fourth in my series where I choose a topic, pick someone smarter than me (finding smarter people is turning out to be way easier than my ego prefers), and we trade emails. To find other articles in the series, go here, here, and here. This time I talked to Shama Kabani, the founder and CEO of The Marketing Zen Group and the author of The Zen of Social Media Marketing. Shama's premise: Most social media marketing efforts fail because, at a fundamental level, people don't use social media to connect with businesses--or even with each other.
Jeff: You realize this premise is completely opposite from what most people think? Shama: And that's why most businesses get poor results. Jeff: You're going to have to explain that. While I was doing the research I had this light bulb moment. 1. 2. Small Businesses, Stop Worrying About Your Google Ranking. Trying to beat the web search giant's mysterious algorithm is a massive time-sink for any small business. July 30, 2012 Everyone knows that a high rank on Google for your small business can mean loads of potential customers.
But achieving those rankings can be difficult, and the rankings can change in the blink of an eye. So how much, if at all, should you worry about search engine rankings for your company? Web Access Has Changed It used to be that using Google meant heading to your computer and doing a search from within a browser. Results are tailored geographically, making them more localizedResults are listed differently, giving you one-click features to call businesses and get directions Also, Google has "personalized" search, which takes into account whom your friends are and tailors search results based on your social profile. How Google Has Changed It used to be relatively simple to appear high in Google results, as the ranking algorithm was much simpler. How Google Hasn't Changed. Search Engine Marketing - How to Optimize for Local Search With Post-Venice Citation-Building Strategies. Local Search Optimization | Six Viral Local Marketing Ideas | Powered by Local Market Launch.
Local Search Optimization | The Magnificent 7 of Free Business Promotion | Powered by Local Market Launch. 50 Ways To Optimize Your Blog. Replay: Google plus Training. Google Places API Adds Search, Google Review and More. Places API (Experimental) If You're Ignoring Social Media, You're Losing Money, Customers, Business. 12 Things to Do After You’ve Written a New Blog Post | Content Marketing Post. How To Target by Zip Code in Google AdWords | Location Targeting by Zip Code. Hyper Local Keywords and PPC Ads. Sorry, Marketers, You're Doing Twitter Wrong [REPORT] Mobile Coupons and Deals - How Valuable Are They for Mobile Marketing? [Infographic] - LocalVox. How to Optimize Your Business For Local Search and Social Marketing. Developing Local Marketing Strategies | great25.com| Learning to Promote Your Events or Products. Small Business Pinterest Starter Guide. How to Launch Facebook Offers in Minutes.
Www.hubspot.com/Portals/53/docs/ebooks/hs20120621.pdf. Facebook may not be for YOUR business. How to Create a Social Media Marketing Schedule. Why Every Local Business Needs a Mobile Website. 10 Laws of Social Media Marketing. How the New Google+ Local Tab Could Influence Local SEO - US Business News Story. 4 Ways to Increase Your Facebook Page Visibility. Forget Reading! Web Content Is Meant To Be Skimmed. Link Building Means Earning "Hard Links" Not "Easy Links" Changes in Local Search - Implications on Local SEO. 5 Techniques To Get Your Business To Top of Google. Google Adds "At a glance" to Places Pages. How to Rank on the First Page of Google Through Videos. Want a 150% Boost in Traffic? Then Use This Idiot-Proof Guide to Google Authorship Markup. Using Images For Local SEO. Independent Authority on Search Vendors. Google Maps Changes PO Box Rules. Press Release Optimization and Search Engine Promotion.
If You Stay White Hat Then You Don’t Have to Fear Google’s Updates. Why You May Need To Hide Your Google Places Address ASAP. Link Building Strategies - The Complete List. The Hierarchy of Web Presence Optimization. Www.hubspot.com/Portals/53/docs/ebooks/the_step_by_step_guide_to_mastering_the_design_and_copy_of_ctas.pdf. 10 Ways to Increase Blog Readership. Guest Blogging for Clients: Make Your Next Post Lead to Business! Setting Up Wordpress for SEO. How to Get More Customers with Local Search Marketing: 10 Optimization Tips by Vertical Measures. SEO Vodcast - Is SEO the End All Internet Marketing Strategy?
Take 10: Six Quick Tips for Writing SEO-Friendly Content - MarketingProfs Online Seminars. 10 SEO Optimizations That ACTUALLY Make A Difference.