Archive for the ‘Orlando search engine optimization’ Category

10 Simple Steps to Link-building Success

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

In an earlier post, we simplified the idea of links and described two reasons why links are important.  In the realm of search engine marketing, they’re absolutely essential.  But links are not altogether easy to get–especially the more valuable ones.  So here is a list of steps that you can take to begin moving forward:

  1. Take the long view – If you want to begin building links, be ready to exercise patience.  We talked in an earlier post about the idea that search engine success is a journey, not a day-trip.  Link-building is a perfect example of that.  It takes time to develop your linking strategy, more time to create / develop link partnerships, and even more time for Google to recognize your progress.
  2. Use your keyword research – Your link-building strategy should follow the findings of your keyword research.  So before you begin, be sure you are clear about which words you are targeting on Google.
  3. Identify worthwhile link sources – Not all links are created equally.  Some links can help your site ranking improve incrementally while others can help you do so dramatically.  Be aware that some sites have been flagged by Google as manipulative (i.e. spam links or link farms) and can actually hurt your rankings.  For a deeper understanding of the methodology, see Wikipedia’s entry on PageRank.
  4. Identify link directories – There are some directories that can provide worthwhile links for little or no cost.  One broad example of this is the Open Directory Project, but it’s known to be very competitive to earn a listing.  There may well be some specific (and powerful) directories in your particular industry, so be on the lookout for industry-specific associations and directories.
  5. Research your competitors’ link sources – If you are trying to overcome a competitor for a particular keyword, simply type their URL in a site like BackLink Watch to see exactly where their links are coming from.  You will be able to see right away where the links to their sites originate.
  6. Create or dedicate a page on your Web site to link partners -  A worthwhile tactic to increase links is to negotiate reciprocal links with sites that are similar to yours.  Create a page on your Web site where you feature your link partners and provide contact information for those that may wish to trade links with you.
  7. Prepare your own link text – Referring back to our earlier post on the importance of links, be sure to compose the link text that you might wish to see your linking partners put on their Web sites.  If you don’t think this through, you may be wasting your time bargaining for links that aren’t so helpful.  You may even wish to put this text on the page you dedicate to your partners.
  8. Reach out – Now that you have your links page prepared and your link text developed, start contacting other site owners to begin negotiating reciprocal links.  You may wish to create a record of correspondence in a separate file or wiki page to track your progress and learn what works.
  9. Create a schedule – As you can see, there are many activities that contribute to a successful link-building effort.  It may be worthwhile to create a link-building schedule for yourself that budgets time on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  This will help you stay on track and maintain steady progress.
  10. Set goals – Like any performance area, setting goals regarding your linking activity can be helpful and motivating to you and/or a team.  It is advisable to create a series of short and long range goals to record what you’re hoping to achieve.

Building links to your Web site can be time-consuming and slow to evolve, but it’s a necessity if you are looking for search engine success.  Following this handful of simple steps can get you on the road in no time at all.

Posted in Link building, Orlando Web Marketing, Orlando search engine optimization, Professional Services Marketing, SEO | No Comments »

3 Keys To Writing Effective Search Engine Copy

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

It’s been well-established that Search Engines like Google tend to look favorably upon fresh and original content when providing users with relevant search results.  A user that is searching for “office furniture” should be presented with results that contain Web pages where that search phrase is dense within the copy.

But there’s a fine line.  It’s not advisable to simply “cram” keywords into a page in an overly-repetitive fashion.  At the same time there is a requirement to be sure that target search phrases do appear within the copy to be sure the search engines recognize it.  Google suggests a common sense approach in determining how to toe the line:  make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.

As you contemplate how to create and develop your Web site’s content, here are three keys to consider:

Key 1: Do not repeat keywords in an unnatural way.

The ability to keep an article keyword-rich and enjoyable is an art form in and of itself. When given the choice of one more related keyword and keeping it free of awkwardness, err on the side of readability. You can always spin the article anew with a separate and distinct article. Today’s readers will tend to scan, or gloss over the copy. When a keyword is repeated multiple times, the reader will see the pattern and conclude the article is less than genuine. In the same vein, use of name brands should be avoided unless extremely pertinent to the article. Scanners spot ads woven throughout the copy the fastest.

Key 2: Give a call to action to attract a community around the article.

Think like the audience. The articles with the most activity involve the reader in some way. If you are writing content on dog training, you could ask a question like “Do you think bulldogs can be trained?” toward the end of the article. Viewers will voice their opinions and inadvertently add more related keywords to that page with little to no effort on the site-owners part. Adding internal links inside the article that are keyword-rich are also helpful to get traffic to multiple pages within the site.

Key 3: Use the “rule of three.”

This very article narrows down the many SEO copy writing tips in to a three-point list. This phenomenon (the rule of three) is as unexplainable as it is memorable. Historic examples would include “Blood, sweat, and tears,” “I came, I saw, I conquered”, and many others. You can use it to your advantage and present your ideas in three-point bullets. It increases readability and is another opportunity to include related keywords. If this seems to restrictive for particularly long articles, you can break the primary three points in to the secondary parts. This compounding of the rule of three has been shown to be just as effective.

Posted in Internet Marketing, Orlando Web Marketing, Orlando search engine optimization, SEO | No Comments »