SEO Specialist Blog

Why do web sites engage in marketing efforts? Sure, it’s to maximize their exposure so that people know they’re there, create a brand identity that people can recognize, come up early and often in the search engine results, inspire people to visit their site, and generate new business. But ultimately, the reason for all of this effort is to increase profits as is the goal of any business. Businesses want to make money, plain and simple. And web sites, as they are businesses, want the best solutions for marketing themselves so that they can achieve all that they have planned and – in the end – make money as a result.

The best search engine optimization companies – those professional vendors that expertly guide their clients through the world of online marketing of their web site – understand the ultimate goal of their clients; to increase their profits.

This may sound like this is information that would be a given for any company charged with marketing a web site, but the fact of the matter is that often profit is overlooked in many ways. Search engine optimization is a process by which a web site uses specifically chosen keywords and phrases, as well as other methods, to attract the attention of the search engines and elevate their page rankings in the search results. The goal? To attract more web site traffic. But what many people fail to understand is that these keywords – if not chosen correctly – may serve to increase web traffic but only the kind of traffic that logs on, checks out the site, and moves on; not the targeted web site traffic that is more likely to be interested in the site’s product and services and is therefore more likely to become a customer. More in Part II.

A huge component in the success of a modern business is networking; it’s always who you know more than it is what you know – an expression that may be overplayed but still very much resonates with those of us in business communities in which we have made an effort to be connected. We know from traditional business that we can take out all the ads that we want and run all the television and radio commercial spots that money can buy – even take out space on a billboard aside the busiest highway – but unless we are a trusted entity in the business community or at least a name that is associated with a personal experience, we’re going nowhere fast. Networking is still – even in this day of computers and email – one of the most effective ways in which companies can drum up business, make a name for themselves in their industry, and establish their reputation as a trustworthy purveyor of products or services.

How does networking translate for online companies – for web sites that want to accomplish the same thing as if they went to a weekly breakfast and networking meeting in the traditional world of business? The answer is forums.

The Internet has sparked a variety of professional and social networking sites designed to allow people with similar interests to connect with each other. And forums on such sites allow people to communicate back and forth about a particular topic of interest. This is the online equivalent to hitting that weekly meeting; because for a web site to be able to post on a regular basis in online forums they are gaining the recognition they need to further their search engine optimization efforts and increase web site traffic, as we will continue to discuss in the next post.

In the last post we talked about the upcoming holidays followed by the beginning of the New Year; something that businesses take very seriously in terms of setting forth their fiscal plans. As we discussed, part of this planning includes the accommodation for marketing objectives. After all, without marketing plans, a company has nothing put in place to reach their target audience and grow their business.

Web sites are not immune from this planning and, in fact, are just as responsible for putting marketing plans in place if they are to continue to be successful in the online marketplace. Some of the marketing plans that web sites may consider this coming New Year may include:

* Working with a SEO specialist in creating search engine optimization goals. The crux of the online business is making sure that all of the great stuff that has been put in place is worth the effort. Because if no one is finding the site then they are not able to enjoy – and utilize – those great things that have been put in place. While a traditional business may put an ad in a community newspaper, a web site must appeal to their community through search engine optimization. These efforts are meant to garner more targeted web site traffic, increase the influx of visitors to the site, and grow the business.

* An increase in advertising. The opportunities for advertising online are seemingly endless. Now may be the time to explore all the options available in terms of pricing and make a decision.

* Double PR efforts through social and business networking, as well as the dissemination of press releases. Getting the word out about a web site – through a multitude of avenues – can only stand to improve its exposure and increase web site traffic.

The holidays are fast approaching, and, of course, right behind them the end of the year. This is typically the season when so many of us begin to look to the New Year ahead in terms of setting our goals and making our plans both personal and business-oriented. Those personal plans – those New Year’s resolutions – tend to go right out the window within a matter of weeks. That diet plan or that workout regime sure looked good after indulging in all of those holiday treats but now, with the full brunt of the winter upon us we are less motivated to comply with even our own directives.

For businesses, it’s not that easy to get out of the goals that have been set forth for the year ahead. In fact, this type of planning is absolutely essential for companies if they want to make progress in growing their business and staying within their budgetary guidelines. Of course, part of planning for the year – for any business – includes a comprehensive marketing plan that will look to expand upon the ways in which a business reaches their target audience but do so in a way that is within their budget. Marketing is crucial for businesses and it must be addressed in all plans for the year ahead. And for web sites this is equally necessary.

Web sites market their business differently – through a combination of search engine optimization and online advertising – and to meet a different goal than the traditional business; to increase web site traffic and grow the business through online patronage. But this doesn’t make the marketing plans of a web site any less important – as we’ll discuss in the next post.

We are looking down the barrel of the holiday season; the time of the year in which retailers and businesses of all kinds – restaurants, hotels, photo development labs, and the like – look to maximize their visibility and increase their business. For web sites that make their money through commerce, the holidays represent an opportunity as well; and the way that increased business is related online is through increased web site traffic.

In order to make the best use of these upcoming weeks, web sites that want to reach targeted web site traffic and increase their business may consider working with an SEO specialist to best market their site. A search engine optimization specialist will work with a web site to make sure that all the critical elements are in place to maximize the site’s visibility with the online search engines. Keyword infused content, inbound linking, video blogging, and other marketing elements can work wonders in elevating a site on the search engine rankings and getting them the targeted web site traffic they need to make this upcoming holiday season a success.

It’s not too late to make sure that everything is in place to not only sustain but increase web site traffic this holiday season. After all, you can have the greatest site in the world – with the products that consumers are looking for as gifts for their family and friends – but unless a web site is marketed appropriately so that it can be found by the appropriate consumers, then the beauty, functionality, and extensive product line will undoubtedly fall short.

Nothing worth having comes easily. We’ve all more than likely heard this expression; reminding us that all the hard work is worth it in the end. It should also be a reminder – on a different level – that those things that come too easily may not be what they seem. Consider Laura, who had a very particular idea of what running a web site would be; something that ultimately had nothing whatsoever to do with reality. Granted, she had a great idea for a product – geared towards children; her target audience the mothers of the world that were looking for high quality, educational products that could be found from the comfort of their home – but Laura was very naïve with regard to how the process would ultimately play out.

She thought that having a great product was enough. And, like many web site owners, she thought that by simply putting her product out there – against the backdrop of a fantastic looking web site that the product would sell itself. Ultimately she missed a whole big piece of the puzzle.

Initially Laura saw pretty steady web traffic which she could attribute to the pre-launch marketing that she did by emailing moms’ groups and the word of mouth she generated on her own. She also attributed it to the fact that her site looked great – and it did! – and the product was superior – which it was. But after about the first month she noticed that not only was she unable to increase web site traffic, but the traffic that she had been seeing had declined sharply. Being proactive, Laura called in the troops immediately; in this case a search engine optimization firm which, through her subsequent research, she determined would help her fill in the gaping hole of her marketing plan. More in the next post…

We are a society at large – and a business community as a result – that is very accustomed to wearing many hats. This is most especially true right now as we all have to pitch in significantly in order to make ends meet in this trying economy. But there are some things for which businesses will always turn to the professionals. Marketing, for instance, is something that must be continued regardless of what is happening on a fiscal level; as it is important for continuing to keep the name of the company in question on the lips of potential customers.

For web sites, this process translates into web site traffic. The point of marketing a web site is to steadily increase web site traffic, maintain an even flow of potential customers, and grow the business. The need for this marketing does not change because the economy slows; it is still incumbent upon a web site owner to market their business just as traditional companies market theirs.

The way that web sites have been marketing their business from the beginning is through proper search engine optimization; which essentially means that all has been set up in order to attract the attention of the search engines which will ultimately funnel visitors and potential customers the way of the web sites. By keeping search engine optimization efforts strong, web sites can rest assured that they are doing all they can to stimulate their business and increase web site traffic.

But this is not a road that is best traveled alone. It has been shown time and time again, that web sites receive the most traction in their SEO efforts when they have experts on their side; something we’ll discuss in the next post.

What is the difference between a mediocre advertisement and a great advertisement? There are many factors that identify a great ad but the foundation of all of it is the knowledge of who you are ultimately addressing. Knowing your audience – what they respond to, what their purchasing trends are, what they will go out of their way to find – all help those in the advertising business in crafting an ad that will not just simply hang in the wind but will have impact in addressing a particular demographic.

The very same method can work for web sites that want to increase web site traffic. Sure, you can put in place all the search engine optimization methods that have been recommended – working to include such things as content that includes specially chosen keywords, including links to other highly ranked web sites – but if you are not speaking to your audience in all that you do, your advertising – in this case, your search engine optimization efforts – fall on deaf ears.

SEO should address a multitude of issues. Sure, it should ensure that prospective visitors are able to find your site and do so because your web site is in the top tier of the search engine results. But anything that you do toward SEO should also ensure that those who find your site are interested in what you have to offer. Good search engine optimization, in other words, should ultimately bring you customers – not just visitors.

In the next post, we’ll explore some of the ways in which good search engine optimization can bring you targeted web site traffic.

In the last post we talked about the effort that web sites put in to their search engine optimization programs; which are, of course, dedicated to moving them up the ranks of the search engine’s search results. There is no way to adequately impress upon web site owners the importance of comprehensive SEO. A web site is the online marketing vehicle for a company and its power is profound. Ignore the marketing of this site and you are missing the opportunity to grow your business, plain and simple.

Realizing that the search engines are the key to increase web site traffic, web site owners may be led to believe that somehow tricking the search engines will bring them the results they desire. Spamming, shadow domains, and the like are always ways that web sites try to fool the search engines in an effort to increase their page rankings.

But ultimately such tricks do not work for the long term. In fact, the search engines are much smarter than they are often given credit for; they can easily identify those web sites that are trying to beat the system. So while such methods may, for a very short time, allow a site a higher search engine ranking, they will just as soon be weeded out. And if they are, the company in question will be completely dropped from the search engines; a high price to pay to increase web traffic in the short term without any real long term success.

In the last post we began to talk about how consistent search engine optimization is crucial to propelling a site to the top of the search engines’ ranking results. And how – as a part of this search engine optimization – web sites will (rightly) work with professionals SEO services in order to properly optimize their site; something that a startlingly low percentage of web sites can currently claim.

As a part of their search engine optimization efforts, web sites – with the assistance of their professional SEO specialist – will utilize keyword rich content in order to engage the interest of the search engines, raise their page rankings, and increase web site traffic. Such content – in order to be effective – should be relevant to the site itself and include keywords that have been specially chosen for this particular web site.

This is a critical step and something that far too few professional SEO services will give the attention that it deserves. Keywords should be chosen with great care and after detailed analysis. Only then can particular keywords and keyword phrases be chosen that will yield equally specific results. Effective keywords are those words and phrases that are targeted, will inspire consistent, quality web site traffic, and will not only bring in traffic but will create an environment for sales and subsequent growth of the business.

Those professional SEO services with which a web site works should demonstrate a proven commitment to performing detailed analysis of potential keywords and of working hand in hand with clients in order to choose those keywords that will ultimately be most effective.