Search Engine Optimization - The Right Way!
If you have a website then search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial to your goal of bringing people to your site. Most people today begin their search using one of the major search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Ask, and others. When they find what they are looking for they stop searching and go to that site. This is why it is essential that your site rank as high as possible for the correct key words and key word phrases for each of your websites pages.
There are millions of websites online today and sadly a great majority of them will never be found through search engines because they have ignored the basics of SEO. It is not a difficult task but it is time consuming and tedious. However, the benefits are tremendous when those who are searching can find you on the first couple of pages of the major search engines.
So the question still remains, how do you optimize your site the right way. We emphasize the “right way” because there are many methods that work but some of them can also get you kicked out of the listings on search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo.
Some important steps to follow are:
- Every page on your site is a separate and unique entity and should be treated that way. This means that as you create each page you should apply the basics of search engine optimization to that page. What are those basics? See below:
- Each page should be optimized for the appropriate key words and/or keyword phrases
- In general you should optimize for key word phrases because most people do not search on just one term. Research done by Entireweb says that 31% of people enter 2 word phrases into search engines, 25% of all users look for 3 word combinations and only about 19% of them try their luck with a single word.
- Each page you create should have an appropriate title that contains the key word or key word phrase if at all possible.
- Use all the tools of page design to your advantage. Include your key words and/or phrases in the title tag, meta tag, meta description, graphics, and links within a page.
- Do not over saturate your content with your key words or phrases. You could be penalized and your page could be rejected if the search engines feel you are spamming.
- Google states that proper HTML coding of your pages is important as well.
If you follow these steps you will be on your way to increasing your ranking within the major search engines. These are the basics and like anything in life you must learn the basics before you can go on to the more advanced techniques.
Internet Marketing - What is it?
The term internet marketing has evolved over the years. In the beginning it was simply a matter of having a website and placing a few banner ads on other sites. Today however, it encompasses a variety of disciplines and techniques that when used correctly and in conjunction with each other become an integral part of any company’s success. Companies who use internet marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy have poised themselves to achieve more consistent sales and therefore increased their chances of surviving economic downturns.
So, what is this thing we call internet marketing? There are several disciplines and techniques that are commonly used. They are as follows:
- Company Website - A website is used to convey your company’s message as well as your company’s image to the masses. Today’s websites include text, graphics, audio, video and animations to convey any message you wish to your existing and potential customers. Marketing oriented websites also capture leads from visitors who are then potential customers for your services or products.
- Search Engine Marketing - This is essentially the way in which you market your website via the major search engines. This is done by improving your search engine ranking for your key words or key word phrases. The most common methods are:
- PPC - Pay-per-click advertising
- Organic Rankings - Improving your search engine position by using search engine optimization techniques
- Email Marketing - This uses email as a communication and delivery method to inform customers or solicit feedback. This can be done using newsletters, post cards, notes, letters, etc. For all practical purposes it is direct marketing online.
- Press Releases - This can be done via online wire services as well as placing them on your own website.
- Blog/Forum Marketing - This is the act of posting comments, opinions, answers to questions,etc. on blogs or forums that are related to your business.
- Article Marketing - This is the art of writing articles on topics related to your business and distributing them to other websites, article repositories, and RSS feeds.
- Social Marketing - This involves the use of social bookmarks, and social sites such as MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, and many others.
As internet marketing evolves so do our services and our techniques. As important as it is for you to keep up on the trends and movements in your business so it is with us. We continually track and learn the newest and most effective ways to market your business online. Internet marketing is important for every kind of business, both brick and mortar and online.
Even if your business is locally based and does not need to compete on a global level the basic disciplines and techniques used in internet marketing will benefit your business. One of the biggest benefits is the cost factor. Online marketing is much more inexpensive than traditional methods. If you capture leads and work your list then your ROI and sales percentages are much higher as well. Local searches are becoming more and more prevalent and without an online presence you may find yourself losing customers and business to those who are prepared.
In general the Internet has enabled businesses to prosper because of the reasonably low cost to start and maintain a web presence. Therefore, internet marketing should be part of your business plan and your marketing strategy.