SiteProNews |
- How a Google Penalty Can Make Your Site Stronger
- How an SEO Consultant Could Help Your Sales Take Off
- Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix
- Google vs Bing; Your Best SEO Bet
| How a Google Penalty Can Make Your Site Stronger Posted: 18 Aug 2009 02:07 PM PDT
First, Some Research In order to answer Patrick’s question I needed to find out a couple of things about his website to make my answer more accurate:
My Answer to Patrick First I will layout why it seems your site did so well to begin with. Your website has very few backlinks in comparison to your competitors who have significantly more. So, as near as I can tell your top rankings were so high because you had built an awesome reputation with Google by providing unparalleled content; I can’t find a single competitor that can match the quality of your content. For a long time you managed to stay at the top of your marketplace by continuing to provide great content. Unfortunately, you were over-optimizing the content by adding too many incidences of the same keywords (keyword stuffing) and Google took a disliking to it. So why is it so hard to regain your ranking stability? Your site lost the glue that kept it competitive when Google penalized it. The glue, in this case, was your site’s reputation that was created based on your content which lost its stickiness due to Google’s penalty for the keyword stuffing. Without your content My Recommendation for Removing the Google Penalty
By applying these recommendations you will very likely discover that the Google Penalty was more a blessing than a curse because your site will come out stronger than ever before. Is your website suffering from a Google penalty? If so, feel free to drop me an email and we can discuss your situation. Ross Dunn is the CEO/Founder at StepForth Web Marketing Inc.; based in Victoria, BC, Canada and founded in 1997. You can read more of Ross’s articles and those of the veteran StepForth team at news.stepforth.com or contact us at www.stepforth.com, Tel – 250-385-1190, Toll Free – 877-385-5526, Fax – 250-385-1198 Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources How a Google Penalty Can Make Your Site Stronger      |
| How an SEO Consultant Could Help Your Sales Take Off Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:33 AM PDT Starting out it can all be so overwhelming. But it doesn’t need to be. We have to get our products or services exactly right. Then we have to figure out how to explain them to others through our website. We understand the reasons people should buy what we are selling. But can we successfully explain that to our website visitors in convincing language they relate to, instead of jargon and lingo related to our industry? Finally, we have to develop an action plan to market online and within our budget, which is often limited when first starting our business. And how do we develop that marketing plan? Where do we get the information necessary to formulate marketing techniques that will actually work for us? The number of sources out there is simply overwhelming! This is when getting feedback from a professional outside our own industry can be valuable. You can turn to an affordable Internet Marketing Consultant or an affordable SEO Consultant who understands and specializes in small businesses and new business start-ups. What about Getting Internet Traffic to Your Site? Some start by using pay-per-click marketing, like Google AdWords. It’s GREAT for sales lead generation. The trouble is that AdWords can get expensive quickly. And it takes a LOT of time to set up and manage over time. Starting out it may make sense to use AdWords. Plus, it can be a great way to test your keyword search phrases to find out which ones convert best. You can use AdWords for this purpose before beginning search engine optimization (SEO). But ultimately…sooner or later…you’ll need to optimize for the search engines (SEO). Affordable SEO can provide you qualified Internet traffic without per-visitor costs. Think of it almost as free advertising. You should also utilize article marketing, getting your message in front of article directory visitors and ezine newsletter subscribers. This can generate faster sales, while you’re waiting on your SEO efforts to pay off. Lastly, for most Internet businesses, they should use blog postings or opt-in email marketing to stay in touch with their prospective buyers, using a soft-sell method, over time. Think sales lead generation versus an immediate direct sales, the first time someone comes to your website. If all you focus on are people who make a buying decision they very first time they come to your site, you’re missing out on the great majority of sales you can make! How Much Traffic Do You Need? Here are some questions you’ll need to consider when making decisions about AdWords and SEO:
Especially when first starting up, finding this type of data, evaluating it and then implementing a plan can be very time-consuming and can almost drive a person crazy! There are a lot of so-called experts you can follow. But how do you know if they know what they’re talking about? And without having these numbers (at least good estimates), starting AdWords or affordable SEO is like throwing darts with a blindfold on! Again, this is where talking with an SEO Consultant or Internet Marketing Consultant can help light your path. Your result can be more sales and better sales lead generation, MUCH faster. Which Keyword Search Phrases are Right for Your Business? Think of keywords as the windows or doors to your website. Without using the right ones for YOUR business, your website is like a house without windows or doors — no one is coming in. Kinda the opposite of what you’re going for. What makes good keywords for your business? My advice to clients I coach is your keywords should:
Wrapping it Up Be open to the value an affordable Internet Marketing Consultant or an SEO Consultant can offer you. Someone who has already gone down the road you’re on can help you avoid the potholes along the way. And those potholes can be very expensive… There are talented advisors out there who understand small businesses and new business start-ups. And they price their services for these businesses. Using someone talented, you’ll almost certainly make more sales, more quickly. And following that advice and the other suggestions in this article, your Internet marketing plan should be off to a great start! Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a budget. He’s a Sales Lead Generation expert and a Affordable SEO specialist offering affordable marketing services (and d-i-y Coaching). Receive your Free Introductory Consultation, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today! Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources How an SEO Consultant Could Help Your Sales Take Off    |
| Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:29 AM PDT
In a recent study (1), Forrester Research found that interactive marketing spending will reach nearly $55 billion by 2014, representing 21% of all marketing spend. And the fact of the matter is that marketers are continuing to place more stock in newer forms of marketing and social media, leaving many higher-ups to wonder if it is time for them to include these channels in their own marketing mixes. And with the help of your search engine optimization company, it’s possible to achieve outstanding rankings and results! What follows are some common considerations that should be analyzed prior to the launch of an SEO campaign so that you will know what you are getting into, what you will need from your own team and your prospective search engine optimization company, and how to most effectively pursue this particular form of marketing. Achieving Buy-in Search engine optimization is unlike many traditional forms of marketing in that several departments must be involved in order for the SEO campaign to be successful. Apart from the obvious need to get buy-in from upper management (unless, of course, you are upper management), you will also need to get buy-in from your sales department and, very importantly, your IT department before pursuing the powerful capabilities your search engine optimization company can bring to the table. Upper Management While a well thought out, highly targeted SEO campaign is becoming an increasingly popular marketing tool, many “old school” bigwigs are uncomfortable pursuing something that is completely foreign to them. This is not an indictment of the individual – keep in mind that the traditional marketing methods that the company has likely relied upon (trade shows, direct mail, print advertising, etc.) have been relatively unchanged for decades. While these traditional marketing channels may have remained relatively stagnant, the allocation of spend for them has not. According to a 2008 SEMPO report, more marketers are shifting their budgets to search rather than spending it on the more traditional channels of the past. Nearly 26% of advertisers shifted budget for print magazines to search; 23% from direct mail; 18% from print newspaper; 15% from website development; and 7% from email marketing. One of the reasons for this is obviously the effectiveness of the channel. In the same study, SEMPO found that respondents viewed online marketing efforts as their strongest tactic or best ROI. 63% of respondents saw paid search as the best return on investment in terms of marketing or advertising efforts; 49% for organic SEO; 43% for email marketing; 12% for conferences and exhibitions; 11% for public relations; and 6% for print magazines. Another reason for the shift in marketing dollars, which can be used as ammunition when you are trying to convince your higher-ups to go with a search engine optimization company, is the ultimate accountability that goes along with online marketing: the data that indicates success or failure of your SEO campaign is of the black-or-white variety. When describing the effectiveness of a company’s marketing strategy, there is often an old sentiment tossed around – “I know that half of my marketing is not working, just not which half.” Because of the analytics involved in search engine optimization, your company higher-ups can take comfort in the fact that this is not another marketing initiative that will self-perpetuate indefinitely – the metrics involved in your SEO campaign will demonstrate that it is working, justifying the continued expenditure. When trying to get buy-in from upper management, you also have a formidable weapon in the actions, or inaction, of your competitors. If your hated rivals are actively embracing the tools offered by a search engine optimization company, there will be a tendency among upper management not to want to let them get too far ahead. If none of your top competitors appear to be actively pursuing this channel, your company can gain traction before your rivals do and thus gain the competitive edge. Whichever the case, it is now much easier to present a compelling argument to pursue an SEO campaign.
Sales Department
There is often a mutual suspicion and distrust between sales and marketing, but in order for your SEO campaign initiative to be as successful as possible, you should involve sales in the process of selecting a search engine optimization company as early as possible. Achieving buy-in from the salespeople is critical in making certain that the leads that are generated from the website are followed up on as diligently as they should be. By asking sales to assist in important areas of the SEO campaign, like creating an ideal prospect profile and helping to identify targeted keyphrases (after all, they talk to your prospects more often than anyone), you should be able to ensure that when the leads start coming in, your sales team will believe that leads from the website are high-quality and worthy of their immediate attention. After all, without increased revenues, the SEO campaign is not a success – and your salespeople will play a crucial role in determining this. IT Department This can be your most difficult challenge. Unlike most other forms of marketing, search engine optimization is a mixture of marketing and technology. Without achieving buy-in, or at least acceptance, from the IT team prior to the launch of an SEO campaign, you are likely to run into problems. IT teams can be particularly protective of their “turf” and may be reluctant to hand over information to your prospective search engine optimization company. This is not inherently bad (it obviously shows dedication to the job), but it can make things difficult when your search engine optimization company is requesting that changes be made to the company website or that analytics platforms be introduced (to name only two likely scenarios). If you are not used to dealing with your IT department, it would probably serve you well to involve your prospective search engine optimization company in the process of achieving buy-in with them. After all, the vendor should have years of experience in approaching these situations without ruffling feathers. If you choose to approach IT yourself, make it a point to let them know that they will receive a fair share of credit for the success of the initiative and involve them in how you are defining success. This may be enough to win them over to your side. Works Cited 1. U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2009 – 2014 Scott Buresh is the CEO of Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing, which was named the number one organic search engine optimization company in the world in 2006 and 2007 by PromotionWorld. Scott has contributed content to many publications including The Complete Guide to Google Advertising (Atlantic, 2008) and Building Your Business with Google For Dummies (Wiley, 2004), MarketingProfs, ZDNet, WebProNews, DarwinMag, SiteProNews, ISEDB.com, and Search Engine Guide. Medium Blue serves local and national clients, including Boston Scientific, Cbeyond, and DeKalb Medical. See how we can help you achieve your online marketing goals. Contact Medium Blue today! Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources Adding Search to Your Marketing Mix    |
| Google vs Bing; Your Best SEO Bet Posted: 18 Aug 2009 09:25 AM PDT I got into search engine optimization when Yahoo was king and Google was a gleam in Larry Page’s eye so I’ve had a front row seat to all the big doings. And one thing I can tell you for certain is Microsoft just took off its kid gloves with the release of Bing and is looking for a shot at the reigning champ Google. This article will show you how to hedge your bet with both contenders and come out a winner while these two Goliaths slug it out. Round One: First and foremost make sure you follow the one major rule that will apply to both engines; Content is King! Although we don’t yet have a clear picture of how Bing will react to all situations we do know that, since it is being touted as the first decision engine, it will focus greatly on quality of content. That said, be ready to make your pages a little longer than you did when optimizing for MSN and be certain the copy reads well. Round Two: Great content is not enough. It has to be well written and natural sounding. Anything that sounds like it was written for a search bot will not make it into the top one hundred let alone the top ten. Round Three: Still dealing with on page content, you need to carefully consider how many times your keyword is mentioned and where it is found on the page text. Both search engines will not only look for your keywords but also the context in which they are found. It is no longer enough to simply have them sprinkled in the text randomly. Now the keywords need to actually flow in the context of the text as well. This is typically taken care of for you when writing naturally but is definitely worth the extra once over before posting the final page live. Here is a little formula to help…
Round Four: Get as many high quality inbound links as possible. You already know this but it bears repeating. Search engines today are about popularity of the individual page returns. Having inbound links from Google authority sites will be more important than ever because any other search engine trying to trump Google will also be checking these stats as well as adding a few of their own. That said, getting links from just the Google authority sites is not enough. You also want to get links from MSN’s top picks (which are now Bing’s top picks.) Round Five: To really hedge your bet, get an early leg up on your competition by becoming proficient in proven SEO software with a good track record on both Google and MSN (The tool at http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com has proven a good pick over the years for its ability to help develop SEO friendly content and locate the most beneficial link partners but there.) And finally, look for domains for sale that are already ranked well on MSN. This could be the diamond in the rough opportunity of a lifetime for your online business. By following these simple tips you can outdo ninety nine percent of your competition trying to share in the rewards offered by Google and Bing going head to head. Mike Small is an SEO specialist and the founder of SEO by the Minute (http://www.SEObytheMinute.com), a telephone based SEO consultancy that offers 800 number SEO support for a flat rate of one dollar per minute billed securely through Paypal (No credit card or 900 number charges to deal with.) Got a two minute SEO question? It’s just two dollars. Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources Google vs Bing; Your Best SEO Bet    |
Over the past 12 years consulting on web marketing I have answered countless questions but one question I receive often stands out from all; how to remove a Google penalty. The following is an example of a question I received in the past from a person named Patrick: 
The powerful capabilities of organic search engine optimization (SEO) are now a highly sought after marketing tool by many companies that want to alert customers to their products or services by focusing on certain keyphrases that highlight these offerings. And though SEO has embarked on a meteoric rise in the past few years, other non-traditional forms of marketing are now gaining a great deal of well-deserved credibility as well. More and more marketers are using paid ads to hone in on a potentially profitable client base, while other more traditional channels, such as PR and print ads, appear to be becoming somewhat less effective.| You are subscribed to email updates from SiteProNews Recent Articles To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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For months (or is it years now?) we have been reading articles on how businesses should develop a presence on Twitter and build a Facebook Page as part of their SEM objectives. Now, with social media firmly established in the armoury of our online marketing efforts, how can we best take advantage of these two social media giants?
