How To SEO – Page 7 – Grassroots SEO

5 TIPS FOR WRITING GREAT WEBSITE COPY

March 18, 2015/in How to do SEO /by Professor SEO

Making Pandas Smile With Great Website Copy

When writing quality natural web site copy, use this handy website copy roadmap to ensure that your content is written to maximize your search engine rankings and provide quality content for your visitors. Target 250-275 words per page minimum.

1. Select a Primary Keyword

Determine the primary keyword that your content will be optimized for. This will be the primary theme of your page’s content. You can position your primary keyword into the page content 3 to 5 times to improve primary keyword density.

2. Pick out semantic theme keyword(s)

Create a list of theme keywords, called semantic keywords, that suit your page subject matter. For example, if your primary keyword is: digital photography, pick a few (low competition) theme keywords that you can lightly introduce into your web copy such as: digital camera with printer, Kodak easy share digital camera, etc. When your content is well optimized for your primary keyword, you will also get traffic from semantic keywords. Use your theme keyword (s) 1 to 3 times per page. Since the search engines are perpetually evolving, it is better to diversify your content rather than follow the exact same plan for every piece of web content.

3. Use keyword synonyms

When writing about a particular topic, it’s easy to get carried away and include the primary keyword too many times throughout the article. That’s where synonyms come in, use them.

4. In your first paragraph – Include your primary keyword

The first paragraph of your content is critical. Include your primary keyword as near to the beginning of the first paragraph as possible. Also, it is a good idea to include one theme keyword somewhere within the first paragraph as well.

5. Prominence – aim for good keyword coverage including semantic keyword

If your keyword density is too low, you may not get the search engine rankings you may want. Remember, you always need multiple pages with the primary keywords and semantic keywords to gain a higher position in the search engine rankings and beat out your competition.

6 Ways To Ignite Mobile SEO

February 23, 2015/in How to do SEO, Mobile SEO /by Professor SEO

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Supercharge Your Mobile SEO Strategy

The number one focus of mobile SEO is to start with speed. Investigate all actions of mobile engagement and find ways to make things happen faster. Focus on speed to get the lead, speed to get the order, or speed to submit an email or form. Understand where people are in the process and how to get them to the next step in that process as quickly as possible. When you find an obstacle that slows that process down, remove the roadblocks!

6 Mobile SEO Tactics To Help ROI

1. Know where the mobile user is coming from. All referrers are not created equal, many don’t end up triggering your business goals. If you know where the mobile user referral started, you can better understand their motivations and where to direct them. For example, many mobile referrals from social may not be interested in direct sales or lead actions, they be more interested in a service function.

2. Recognize the engagement funnel. Next step in mobile SEO includes some basic mobile analytics. A great tool to use here is a mobile engagement funnel to highlight where mobile users start and where they are trying to go. Mobile visitor actions are key. Follow their actions. What steps do they take and when do they take them?

3. Success rides on simple navigation. Get rid of useless scrolling, large imagery, multiple steps and excessive navigational options. If there are multiple steps in the process, clearly state that upfront. Limit your links, make it easy.

4. Know the device, know the platform. Simple, align the experience to the devices and platforms. Period. Done.

5. Speed up task completions. If you use a check out or lead intake form for mobile, consider simplifying the form. Ask for additional information to complete the transaction on a confirmation email. People are typing on a smartphone, give them the opportunity to use a larger keyboard for detailed information.

6. Clickable Call-to-Action. Click to call is where the speed is, allow the user to view the CTA without having to scroll down. Increasing impressions on your call to action will only benefit your business. Highlight your CTA visually and significantly increase your mobile engagements.

These are a few simple ways to improve your mobile SEO strategy. Mobile search is a much different landscape than desktop or laptop. Mobile visitors have different objectives and motivations, and they all focus around action. 90% of mobile search results in an action taken (call, form submit, directions), with more than 70% of those actions completed in less than 1 hour. Respect your mobile audience and your mobile visitors to get more accomplished quickly. Focus your mobile SEO tactics on speed to win more business.

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SEO Scare Tactics Versus Today’s Reality

February 19, 2015/in How to do SEO, Search Engine Optimization /by Professor SEO

Here are 6 SEO myths perpetuated by less than ethical professionals and lazy optimizers that does not fit play well in today’s digital marketing environment. These six SEO scare tactics can hold your business back from potential growth and valuable ROI.

Scare Tactic #1 – SEO Is An Event

SEO is a process, not an event. You cannot just SEO the site, launch it, and think optimization is done. With constant changes that evolve the digital landscape, being stuck in the past is dangerous and downright foolish. Many business do not keep up with the changes either in thoughts or actions, and do not embrace the change as an opportunity to be better than competitors. These businesses create systems and process that strongly cling to what use to work, a last grasp at the past. Looking forward to the future is not done by looking backwards. Effective SEO demands forward thinking and flexibility to engage with new ways of doing optimization. This does not mean that your business can skip the fundamentals of search engine optimization, rather it assumes that the SEO basics are in place as a solid foundation to build on. If your business is simply doubling-down with commitment to last years tactics, then you are exposing yourself to many missed opportunities that best in class SEO offers.

Scare Tactic #2 – Focus Only On Keywords To Win Business

The singular obsession with keyword phrases is too granular. Old SEO goals focused on rankings for keywords; not only getting the phrase ranked, but keeping it at all costs. That thought encouraged all efforts to get the top spot on page one as the priority, no matter how it was done. This old SEO mentality of the past, would drive focus on one principle keyword or keyword phrase. The SEO practitioner researched a targeted keyword where they wanted to rank, and then focused on that keyword only. This singular approach exposes those types of tactics to the whims of algorithm changes and is extremely reactive SEO.

Keyword density is important – keyword density makes content unreadable. There’s a reason SEO’s laugh at this joke; “An SEO walks into a bar, bars, saloon, whiskey bar, pub, and orders a drink, beer, shot, liquor, wine…”. Natural semantic phrases used in search work better in moderation.
Abundant redundant keywords – usually found in links, footer, page titles, anchor text, alt text, are aggressive over-optimization and once again reads and looks like spam. Avoid doing this.

This is no longer the world of effective SEO. Exceptional digital markers look beyond the keyword and into the mind of the people that are doing searches. Today’s SEO is about user intent and user engagement with the brand. Focusing on intent highlights the need to optimize for semantic phrases and long tail searches. Semantic SEO is all about understanding what the person is actually trying to accomplish with their search and how best to present your brand for that intent. Alignment of the brand and how people engage with the brand is the new focus. How your brand is viewed is the improvement that will drive organic success and ultimately more business results.

Scare Tactic # 3 – Rank As a Success Metric

Sending this little red flag up the flagpole opens all kinds of doors. When that long list of unsolicited keywords that your business does not rank for suddenly becomes important, it’s time to just stop. What’s the economic benefit of these terms when most have zero relevance to user intent? Then in the next business discussion with that client, they hand you a 20 page ranking report tracking hundreds of utterly useless keyphrases? Been there too? Then ask this question, “How are your analytics? What’s the correlation between the ranking report and your actual business results?” Even though your business may rank for hundreds of terms, the key phrases from an unwanted solicitation become the focus and urgently require immediate action. Rarely does this fear tactic ever benefit your business. If your definition means SEO is chasing rankings, then note that SEO style is dead. Omni-channel marketing is the here and now in the current marketing environment. Brand marketing across multiple channels offers the best chance for success.

Rankings are dangerous because they are assumptive:

Assumption #1- the ranked key phrase has an audience that’s relevant to my business
Assumption #2 – the ranked term is aligned with searcher intent
Assumption #2 – the searcher will actually click on the search results to my website
Assumption #2 – the keyword is aligned with my landing page
Assumption #2 – the entire engagement listed above will result in a conversion to a client or sale

These ranking reports are easy but often manipulate the truth of the business ROI. It’s always a bit awesome to for a client to say “We’re #1 in Google for bounce house injury lawyer in Tupelo, MS!” or “We’re the top of page one for Red Widgets In Wichita!!”

Rank is easy to sell, because it’s easy to understand. It’s even a bit sexy because it appeals to ego and vanity. However it’s the responsibility of professional marketers and savvy business people to move the rank conversation from the old way of thinking into a more meaningful discussion, one that will benefit the business. Focus on measurable KPI’s for Brand, Audience, Engagement, and Outcomes. These are metrics that when improved, increase contacts, promote sales and drive real money to the bottom line. Don’t fall into the easy trap of taking the path of least resistance, plan an SEO strategy that will target the right keyword phrases that target the relevant audience, at the right time, that presents the business or brand in the best possible light. That it key to long term growth in a new SEO environment.

Scare Tactic #4 – The Sun Rises And Sets On Google

For those businesses that perpetually wear “Google-goggles”, you may not know this, but you have a problem. If you are super excited that so much of your organic traffic comes from Google and you think that means you are “winning”, please think again. It means that with all of your eggs in the Google basket, your business is actually at risk. The next Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird, or other animal update can put a serious pinch on your online presence. Just as smart investors never put all of their money into one single stock to mitigate their risk, smart SEO strategies create diverse traffic mediums with multiple inbound channels.

Progressive SEO strategies look for opportunities to promote your business or brand in many places. Your plan needs to be as diverse as your audience, to maximize success opportunities. Omni-channel marketing (always on, always everywhere) is the new normal to get your value proposition to the masses.

Scare Tactic # 5 Content Is King

Guess what? Content is king, but crap content is not. Developing thin, anemic content focused on ranking for a keyword is not only a bad SEO technique that just won’t go away, it can actually do way more harm than good. There was a time that using the right keywords in the correct amount, could lead to improved rankings. Google’s Panda algorithm filters absolutely loves to crush that junk content into oblivion.

The key was simple, content was always supposed to be written for readers first. Many people chose to write content for the search engines first, and human readers second. This type of content is exactly what the search engine algorithms try to minimize. The best content is well written, filled with relevance to the search and delights the targeted audience with a “WOW’ factor that’s very engaging and highly shared.

It’s time to move away from creating thin content for search engines. Start developing your brand and business by writing your audience. Understand the who and the why and it’s becomes easier to create great content. Writing quality high value content for your audience does not mean it’s mutually exclusive from writing for search engines. Quite the opposite, awesome content is generally shared and can drive meaningful back links. If you are not excited about your content, how will your audience be excited?

How About Some Article Submissions?
Please no. Going hand in hand with low quality content is generating Article Submissions as link bait. Long past it’s prime, stop doing this right now before Panda seeks you out. Article submissions consisting of thin content might be any easy way to create some quick back links to your domain, but is this really the best use of your marketing efforts? The time and effort to be consistent in article submissions might be better applied elsewhere.

For example, why not try to build some actual relationships by networking within your industry and sharing stories and blog posts that can real value to their website and the online community of your audience? What better way to build quality and authority for your own web properties?

What About Some Press Releases?
Seriously, no. Now for the other thin content tactic to never use again, press releases without real news. Please just stop. As a true method for public relations, blasting your business or name on the newswire on the slim chance to get some links from a legitimate news channel is not a sound practice. Issuing non-newsworthy Press Releases as a links promotional tool mirrors the waste of time like article submissions. Again, in a post Panda and Penguin world, this practice puts your business at risk when done incorrectly. How would you like your back link profile to show the submitter as the authority in the anchor cloud instead of your business? This happens more often than you may think. If you do something truly remarkable, newsworthy that adds real value to your community, a press release MAY be in order and MAY be effective to promote your brand. If this is not the case, just keep building relationships with trust over time.

Scare Tactic #6 – SEO Works The Same For Every Site

This is a big one, but clearly not true. SEO is not the same for every site. Content profiles differ, back links differ, anchor clouds differ, code base, site architecture, site design, domain tenure, all of these things differ site to site. Applying sound solid SEO principles will benefit every website, but results will vary greatly. A single SEO magic trick will not be “the silver bullet” to drive results. Search engine optimization is really a series of a thousand little details done well in context to each other that maximizes value and generates performance results.

So how do you move forward with a SEO strategy for your business? Start by understanding exactly where you are today. Use your analytics to establish business critical goals and KPIs. Make your KPIs DUMB – doable, understandable, manageable and beneficial. Focus on effective – what are the metrics that actually grow your business and creates positive ROI? Understand that search engine algorithms remain dynamic and in a constant state of refinement. With this awareness refine your focus to only do the right things, the right way, all the time. It’s not always pretty, sexy or fun, but it still works. SEO tactics must support your business goals, either economic or strategic in nature. SEO strategy success simply comes down to working towards established goals. The goals must align with the actions that make money and have KPIs for each of those actions. Your focused efforts here helps ease concerns about Panda, Penguin or any other algorithm shifts.

Why Local Search Is Important

February 11, 2015/in How to do SEO, Mobile SEO, Search Engine Optimization /by Professor SEO

What Is Local Search And Why Is It Important?

There is no question that having an easy to find website with accurate information is of the utmost importance. In the quest for greater online visibility, an increasingly big player is local search.

What Is Local Search?

Simply put, it is searches done by a variety of search engines that provide results within the searcher’s area. These search engines are not unknown small engines. Some examples include Google Maps and Bing Places. The bare minimum information for your business is usually already on these engines. Users do not have to go out of their way to perform these kinds of searches: Try entering ‘food’ into Google and see what happens. In addition to the standard list of search results you will get localized search results. Every time someone is looking for something, modern search engines are usually smart enough to show the local results.

Why Is It Important?

With millions of people on smartphones, local search is quite literally at people’s fingertips. When someone is actually walking or driving around your town looking for a business, one like yours, they are frequently going to reach into their pocket and rely on something like Google Maps to find what they need. Ensuring that the information on these apps and websites is accurate and detailed is of the utmost importance. If prospective customers try and fail to call the disconnected phone line listed online, chances are they are just going to call someone else.

What Are Local Citations?

A local citation is when your business or website is mentioned on another local site. This can include pages with listings or pages for local government institutions. These citations of your business and website are taken into account by Google when attempting to assess your webpage. For that reason, it is important to get yourself on local listings and find opportunities to get more citations where you can.

If you have been doing what you can to optimize your site for search engines, local citations and search may be what you are missing. Pay mind to this component of your business and it can only help.

Mobile SEO Strategy

January 27, 2015/in How to do SEO, Mobile SEO /by Professor SEO

Do you need a dedicated mobile SEO strategy?

The most common answer will be yes, but is that the best answer? A deeper dive into online user behaviors may suggest otherwise. The line between desktop and mobile has become blurred, as more and more online visitors rarely see a clear distinction between mobile and desktop and their internet devices. To most internet users, mobile is simply an extension of online connectivity.

Most of your audience will not stop to think about searching from different devices, to them it’s about simple quick access to the Internet. How that “always on” access happens includes:

Device agnostic as long as the information is the same
Personalized across secured platforms
Quick, responsive and relevant

Desktops, notebooks, tablets and phone are trending towards a seamless hand-off from one device to another or one platform to another. Laptops now incorporate touch screens, apps and ins ton on features similar to mobile and tablets, while mobile products improve internal performance and keyboard accessibility.

There is no “line” on the Internet
If your audience doesn’t stop to think about mobile as a separate thing and if most of your brand proposition and information is “out there” online and access is increasingly blurred across devices, then the question becomes do you really need a mobile only strategy? What if you decide that a single focused mobile SEO strategy is best?

Consider that, a single strategy, mobile focused. Let’s make every digital strategy a mobile strategy. Consider the outcomes of this simple approach, what would this look like for your business? This omnipresent approach needs to mirror your audience behavior across multiple platforms and devices to maximize value delivery to them.

Omni-channel marketing includes mobile

The distinction of “mobile only” is lost as far as the average person is concerned. Which means your online strategy will have to work double and triple duty to play nicely with this ubiquity. Your mobile focused strategy needs to support how people fundamentally engage with their devices:

for communicating with other people or peoples
for consuming their favorite media (text, images, video)
for seeking answers

As a business owner or professional service provider, you can see the branding and marketing opportunities by providing user value in any of the use cases listed above. To further provide an awesome experience for your audience consider these things as well:

The platform – what can your website / blog do in the new web environment?
The content – the strategy, the schedule, the development, and the tactical deployment
The audience – where are they and how can you best reach them? What do you want them to do next?

Most importantly for your mobile focused strategy, how will you define success? What are the quantifiable KPIs that you will use to measure and monitor performance? How will these key performance indicators help you refine your mobile focused strategy going forward?

Simple, right? Maybe, but then again maybe not. Adopting a single mobile focused strategy sounds easy enough at first pass, but execution of this strategy is something different altogether. You will succeed as long as every step of your mobile marketing strategy includes a focus on mobile and a focus on how your audience engages with your brand message on their mobile devices.

Importance of social media for small business

January 27, 2015/in How to do SEO, Online Lead Generation, Search Engine Optimization /by Professor SEO

The Value Of Small Business Social Media

Now, when running a business, one must have a solid and reliable online presence. With a website, SEO strategy, and social media accounts, a company can reach more customers and make more money. With that being said, many do not know enough about social media and they end up missing out on opportunities. Fortunately, with this quick guide, one can understand why social media for small business is beneficial.

What Social Media Applications Are Great For Small Business?

What: when thinking about social media, most think of Facebook and Twitter. These are, by far, the two largest outlets and the ones most people should concern themselves with. Now, this does not mean that social media for small business is simple. Instead, when setting up accounts, one should take the time to fill out their profile and make plenty of posts. At the same time, a business owner must communicate with visitors as this is the best way for a business to gain market share.

Many small business owners do not feel that they need social media marketing. Whether a person runs a one-man show or has 50 employees, they must use social media. When using this outlet, one can reach out to customers of all income brackets and ages. Remember, almost everyone heads online and visits social media pages every day.

Why many entrepreneurs do not think they need Facebook as they are satisfied with their current marketing plan. While some people do well with advertisements and referrals, social media helps. In fact, most will see the benefits quickly as they will see a spike in website traffic. Not only that, when using social media marketing, an entrepreneur will see that he or she will not need to spend a lot of money to find customers. This is a serious advantage for a small business owner who does not have a large marketing budget. Simply put, dollar for dollar, social media is a reliable way to bring in customers and increase sales.

Fortunately, even a person with limited computer or Internet experience can set up a social media account. When signing up for an account, a business owner must provide basic information about the business. Once established, the business should have no difficulty in finding followers for the page.