Posted by Beth Hrusch
SEO is all about getting people to your site, right? But what about keeping them there? Countless websites out there are awfully good at the first part. It’s amazing how good—if you ask the guy next to you for SEO help , he’s likely to say something like “Oh, yeah. Do your analytics. Find out which keywords to use. Put ‘em on your site at like 3-5% in the text. Write a bunch of paragraphs that have a lot of keywords in ‘em. Add your name and city name. Put ‘em on your site. You’ll be on the first page in a month.”
I’ve written keyword-stuffed fluff (sadly, it’s true), and I’ve written useful content. What’s the difference? Beyond the obvious, the difference lies in which one gets people to stay on your site long after they’ve gotten there. Why should you care if people stay? Well, the longer visitors stay at your site, the more likely they are to perform the desired action, whether it’s buying goods and services, opting in for a newsletter or picking up the phone to give you a call.
So, here’s some free SEO help! Check out the following tips that will get visitors to your site and keep them there:
1. Provide quality content. Yes, we’re big on this. Information is key with consumers. Tips, suggestions, helpful articles – all of these keep visitors on site longer. And, if you update that information frequently, you’ll create site stickiness, meaning that visitors will not only stay but return regularly.
SEO help tip: A great way to provide good, regularly updated content is to post a blog page on your site.
2. Create interesting titles. There are lots of ways to make your titles stand out. Your title, or headline, should identify a problem and offer a solution, or pique the visitor’s curiosity. You have less than 10 seconds to capture the attention of a site visitor. Those ten seconds are where the time you took with the titles pays off.
3. Simplify site navigation. Is it just me, or is a confusing, convoluted site an invitation to exit? If you want real SEO help, just remember—keep the navigation unambiguous, intuitive and in the same place on every page. A navigation bar at the top of each page is typical, but if you have a lot of navigation links, use drop-down sub-menus to get visitors to where they want to go.
4. Describe benefits. A clear, concise description of “here’s what’s in it for you” is where the money is. Your visitors are selfish. They don’t care about you or what interests you. In fact, they don’t even think about you. So tailor your content and your site to them. Describe the benefits found on your site: how your visitors can save money (big), get what they want easily, get free shipping, etc.
5. Go easy on the sell. If you’re serious about getting SEO help, you’ll pay attention to this one. Please don’t ask for anything right away. For instance, an opt-in box on the home page is a turn-off for many people. Most visitors don’t want to give you their information until they know you’re credible and the only way to show that is with all of the above. First.
Another bit of SEO help: Go ahead and skip the hype about how great you and your business are. Visitors care about their own needs. You are here to help them, which will eventually—help you!
Yes, there are many ways to get visitors to your site. But, before you take that guy’s advice about stuffing keywords into your precious bit of Internet real estate, consider the power of real SEO help. The kind that comes from content geared toward your visitors, not search engines. And, the kind that keeps in mind the kind of experience they will have once they are in your space.
Fluff doesn’t help your visitor. And if it doesn’t help your visitor, then it doesn’t help you.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
Internet marketing without SEO is like, well, peanut butter 
without jelly. Some people are ok with that, but most would probably prefer them together.
Search engines sure like SEO. It’s delicious, and they eat it up. That’s why you need an SEO marketing plan. If you already have one in place, you need to make sure you stay on track. Here are some tips for improving the SEO power of your website:
1. Create quality content. Not what you’re interested in, or what you think people want to hear. And certainly not useless filler that’s stuffed with keywords in an attempt to rank. Believe it or not, we still get requests for this type of content-- you know, high-density keyword-filled-densely-packed-with-nonsense content that might get you some recognition with the search engines at first, but does little for your long-term credibility.
SEO marketing works when you offer your readers something they will find useful. It’s the only way to convert viewers and casual onlookers into customers. And please, stick to a reasonable density. Use supporting descriptive words and phrases instead of the same keyword over and over and over…
2. Build an online profile. There are many good resources out there that will help you get recognition for your business. Building a company profile helps a lot with local search in particular. Make Google Places, Bing Local or Yahoo Local part of your SEO marketing plan. These are great places to brand your business because you can add images and your logo, as well as information.
Another plus—customers can leave reviews on these sites, helping you get the word out and boosting your rankings.
3. Get your links on. Internal and external linking to your web pages is an essential part of any SEO marketing strategy. The quality of your SEO linking system will play a big part in determining your page rank and the quality of your website. High quality links mean more credibility for you. So, link to high-ranking sites, comment on their content when possible, and invite them to reciprocate.
4. Think local. An estimated 65% of all search is done using localized keywords. In other words, a lot of people are looking for businesses and services in their own geographical area. And the good news is that these local keywords are generally less competitive than more general ones.
If you do optimize for certain locations, it’s better to have multiple location landing pages. Having dedicated area pages for your keywords supports a feeling of local connection, which often equals higher conversion rates.
Of course, there are many other SEO marketing tips out there, to help you get better visibility and build your company’s brand. See what works for you. But remember to always create quality content—it is the foundation of your SEO marketing efforts!
Posted by Beth Hrusch
At some point in your efforts to rank with the search engines, 
you’ll probably ask yourself if it might be a good idea to take advantage of professional SEO services. With SEO, as with many aspects of business and marketing, there are generally two groups of people out there when it comes to getting things done—those who like to do it themselves, and those who like to have others handle it for them.
Of course, there is something to be said for both approaches. I like to think I know my limitations—but I also know people who would rather have their big toe hit by a hammer before they admit they can’t control and execute every project detail themselves. It’s a good thing to know which person you are, mainly because this will make your decision about whether to use SEO services easier.
You should also be aware of what SEO companies can, and can’t, do for you. Having realistic expectations always makes for a smoother experience when working with professional firms. So, here are a few things to keep on mind:
SEO services can keep you on top
Almost everybody who visits the Internet uses search engines to look for or inquire about some product, service or information. When the users search for information on the Internet through the search engines, they get a number of results. As a provider, you want your site to show up as top search result. It’s the job of SEO firms to make sure that your website ranks high on the list of related terms and stays there.
SEO services provide good SEO tools
SEO companies know how to utilize SEO tools that enhance your visibility. Some of the important benefits that effective SEO tools can deliver for your business are; increased targeted traffic, improved visibility, high return on your investment, and better sales ratios. Along with these primary benefits there are other benefits as well, such as cross-browser compatibility, enhanced usability and better accessibility.
Effective SEO also results in you getting repeat and referral business. Add to it the word of mouth promotion and good customer reviews, and now you’re getting somewhere.
SEO firms know how to navigate the waters
This entails many things, from finding the most economical way to submit your site entry to using only “white hat” techniques for ranking with the search engines. There are some aspects of SEO marketing that you may want to leave to the professional so that you don’t get in trouble with the search engines.
SEO services can be a useful resource, if you work with the company, communicate your goals clearly, and let the SEO specialists do their thing. You can certainly help find good keywords—in fact, we happen to like it when clients do their own research and come up with suggestions (who knows your business and customers better than you?). But, if you choose to use SEO services, recognize it as a partnership in which you need to be involved but open to suggestions.
More than 80% of all the Internet users look at search engines to find information. Yes, 8 out of 10 users who come to Internet to look for some product or information are guided by the search engines. They eventually make a purchase, or give their business to the companies that are listed by the search engines. And, keep in mind that 90% of users don’t go beyond the first 20 results.
SEO services can get you into the top 20. Even if you decide to forego these services and go it alone, consider getting help when need it. Most businesses could use a little expert advice now and then, and SEO firms may just be able to tweak your efforts, offer solutions and get you where you want to be with the search engines.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
If you’re creating web content for your business, you may sometimes wonder about how much content you should be putting out there. Are you overdoing it? Saturating the Internet and turning off your customer base? Deciding when and how much to post is part of your content marketing strategy. And, the resources (both human and financial) needed to develop web content are determined by how much of it you want/need. So, the question also affects your bottom line.
A content marketing strategy requires you to do some research into your target market, define the buyer, etc. It also relies heavily on the regular posting of fresh content. The question is, just how much content? And, how often?
There are a lot of opinions on this out there. Unfortunately, there is precious little definitive information. You don’t want to appear spammy, and you don’t want to produce so little and so infrequently that people forget about you.
While there is no final word on the subject, and each company is different in their approach, I think a good way to determine frequency of posting web content is to determine the quality of the content. Good, authoritative content can be posted constantly—the more the better. There is almost no limit to how often good content can be introduced, because it won’t be considered spam.
Weed out anything that doesn’t add value, help your brand or add to the conversation. For example, good directory articles are valuable, and can be submitted almost constantly—even more than once a day. Bad, fluffy articles can only hurt you with readers and search engines. Likewise, the company blog (usually considered a prime piece of content that establishes authority) can be posted daily without danger of overdoing it, as long as the posts are useful to readers.
To help you keep on track with the quantity (and quality) of your web content, put yourself on a schedule. Have your articles automatically submitted. Make sure your blog writers submit fresh content regularly and post on the same days each week. Remember that certain content types are considered premium pieces, so they can be submitted less frequently because more time goes into them. Examples would be ebooks and white papers. Take your time and submit these regularly, but only as often as you have time to create pieces of exceptional quality.
In my opinion, press releases should not be posted until you have real news to share. The advent of news release services such as PRWeb has made it so easy to distribute press releases that some companies are treating them like vehicles to announce every little thing that happens. Some news just isn’t news, so be judicious in their use and they’ll be more effective for you.
I’ve heard it said that when you generate a schedule for yourself, it’s harder to walk away from it or set it to the side in order to do other things. This can apply to your content marketing strategy. Try this:
1. Determine how much web content you can generate given your resources.
2. Make sure you can produce high quality content. Hire an SEO firm, if necessary.
3. Set up a realistic schedule. You can always increase the number of posts later—focus on the quality first. This means that if you can only create quality content twice a week, then only post twice a week.
So, with content marketing, can you ever have too much of a good thing? Not if it’s a good thing. In fact, good web content will almost always have your readers looking for more, not less.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
There are a lot of SEO tools out there. Which ones do you really 
need? Opinions differ, but let’s talk about a couple of functions that you need your little SEO helpers to perform: keyword research and rankings monitoring.
Keyword research
Let’s face it—keywords are as important today as they were back in “the day”, you know, when SEO cavemen and women were wielding their SEO clubs to beat the search engines over their unsuspecting heads. Of course, keyword stuffing is no longer cool, but keywords are. Choosing the right ones remains critical.
You can try to figure this out for yourself, but unless you know exactly what terms your customers are using to search for your products you can’t be sure you’re hitting the mark. That’s where keyword research tools come in. These handy SEO tools provide you with traffic stats, so you can estimate how many people are searching for a specific term every month and how many clicks you’ll be getting if you get to the front page of search results. The Google AdWords keyword tool, Wordtracker and Keyword Discovery are examples of the most popular keyword research tools.
Another neat SEO tool you can use is Google Trends. It tells you about the audience behind your chosen keywords, whether it’s stable, growing or declining. This kind of knowledge allows you to make projections about your success. Considering the fact that it takes time to start ranking with your keywords, it’s good to know what the traffic stats may look like in the future.
Rankings monitoring
Checking your rankings remains the only good way to measure the success of your SEO efforts. Of course, if you’re targeting large lists of keywords or working on a number of websites you can’t check your rankings manually. This type of “hunting” takes a lot of time that would be better spent on improving your rankings.
SEO tools that monitor your rankings are out there, and they can do the work for you. I can’t recommend one over another, but try them out and see which one you like best. Even if you doubt that search engine rankings still a valid way to measure SEO success, you have to know where you rank for the keywords you’re targeting. Even more importantly, you need to know whether you’re moving up or down in the search results, because you can’t tell if you’re doing things right unless you monitor the effect of your actions on your site’s ranking. That’s why rank monitoring SEO tools are still a must-have.
Of course, good content, good writers and the help of SEO specialists are other helpful SEO tools. But ultimately, it’s up to you to determine the success of your efforts. The tools are there to facilitate your content marketing plan, not do the job for you.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
Commenting on blogs can be a good way to increase traffic to your site-- if you go into it with the right frame of mind. Commenting just to get your link out there, or to be the first one on the list of comments, usually doesn't help. Why? Mainly because people can recognize the kind of spammy commenting that doesn't really say anything or contribute to the conversation.
Blog comments are content just like any other form of content. And, they can either help you or hurt you, just like any other kind of content. Worthwhile commentary, combined with links that are worth clicking on, help raise your credibility in much the same way as a series of well-written articles, blogs or website content.
Every comment is another piece of content that can get readers interested in you. You should make each one count. As a general rule of thumb, only comment on blogs that you're truly interested in. If you have some specific knowledge about the topic or want to learn more, if a blog intrigues you and you'd like to add to it, or even if you disagree with the points being made-- these are all legitimate reasons to comment.
If you regularly comment on other people's blogs with thoughtful, interesting feedback, thoughts and opinions, you will start to become recognized as a valuable member of the blogosphere. Will this affect your click-throughs? Absolutely. Blog commentary can be part of a linking strategy that connects you with other bloggers and establishes your authority with them.
Remember that even today's thought leaders in the world of content marketing started out as unknowns, trying to get the word out about their ideas. One of the ways they did it was to create and comment on blogs on a regular basis. For many of them, comments became part of their weekly content marketing strategy.
Blog commentary is fresh, updated content, linked to your site, which gives readers insight into your expertise. It also lets others in your field of interest know who you are. It can be a networking tool and way to market your business. Or, it can be a way to get yourself banned from people's forums and comment lists.
It's all in how you use it.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
SEO content has a lot of little worker bees out there, steadily producing paragraph after paragraph of sales copy, some of it quite good, some not. Day after day, week after week, the Internet is flooded with new information, all of it trying desperately to make their sites rank better. The consumer is asked to “please read me!” a thousand times a day.
Which is why it’s so hard to get people’s attention. There’s no magic bullet for this problem. In fact, I was just talking to one of our resellers today about how the heck do you get your content to rank better for certain keywords. What’s the answer?
There’s probably way more than one answer. Some keywords are quite competitive, blogs take time to develop, etc. But, I do know that this is not an overnight process (unless your content achieves the Holy Grail of SEO—viral status). For most of us, though, it’s a slog. It’s relationship-building over time. The question you need to ask yourself is, does your content have purpose. If so, what is it? Exactly what are you trying to achieve with it?
If your answer is “Why, to rank, of course!”, I would like to caution you. Ranking is an end result of naturally well-written and useful content, promoted well and updated frequently. It should not be the purpose of your content in and of itself. The purpose of your content should be to educate, entertain, inform, engage, etc. Not sell, not rank.
Valeria Maltoni once said that “Education, entertainment, and engagement lead to purchase. Only if they bring the reader along.” Fair enough. So, what are you doing with your content to help your readers deal with their challenges and seek out more of your advice? What are you doing to bring your readers along?
The purest purpose for content is to help people answer their questions, solve their problems and show that you know how to help them with these things. If you stick with this formula, your content will rank naturally, based on both search engine and human factors.
If you’re a business owner, start investing in content just as you would any other marketing tool. But, if you’re going to do it, do it right from the beginning. Have the correct mindset. Remember that content is not an end in itself, it's a beginning. When you start a relationship with your customers through content, you'll be able to glean information about what resonates and what doesn't. Content will draw you and your customers to each other naturally.
That is its purpose.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
Web sites rely heavily on their rankings, and many have worked 
long and hard to achieve impressive visibility with the search engines. Of course, it’s a mistake to rest on your proverbial laurels, especially since Google is constantly changing its algorithms to reflect the latest realities of search.
In a video, Matt Cutts explained the long tail search changes that were recently implemented. This helps to illustrate why businesses have to stay up-to-date with their content, and on top of the changes. Still, there are many ways that a site can hurt itself when it comes to search engine ranking. Most of the time, business owners don’t even know they’re doing damage to their rankings. Here are 5 errors you may be committing and not even know it:
1. You’ve redesigned your website.
It seems like a good idea. Your old site design is getting stale and boring, you’ve got great idea about a fresh new look, improved navigation, etc. But, if you’re making significant changes to your content, your internal linking or want to start using Flash, Ajax or other navigation tools, think twice. Search engines look at the links between your site pages and take a snapshot of them. If you change what they see, the new version may not register as well because it doesn’t contain the links and content that have made you visible in the past.
2. You’re changing your CMS.
Along the lines with a new website design, changing content management systems can create a lot of confusion for search engines. You may recognize that your original CMS no longer serves your needs. However, be aware that a change in the CMS means a change in the templates that format web pages, navigation and the URL structure of pages. Any major changes in content are included with new website software, and that can confuse the search engines. Ditto URL changes.
3. You’ve lost your inbound links.
There are many reasons that you might lose your inbound links. It may be as simple as going offline temporarily. It may be caused by one of the above issues. Links are an essential way for search engines to discover pages and rank them. Companies that can acquire links organically generally fare pretty well regardless of disruptions in the site. But, you can lose links if you change your URL format (for example, .asp to .aspx), or if you aren’t getting links organically (i.e. buying them from other sites). In these cases, the search engines may devalue your site and bump you down in the rankings.
4. You have duplicate content issues.
Duplicate content can occur in several ways. Regardless of how it happens, it confuses the search engines and forces them to make a judgment about which content came first. This sets up a possible scenario wherein you don’t get credit for your own original content. If searches display lists that can be reached in multiple ways, or content is lifted off of another site, you can have duplicate content issues. Anything your website does to make the process of indexing content confusing or inefficient can result in poor search performance for your web site.
5. You’re trying too hard to compete.
By this, I mean that you’re starting to resort to tactics that may get you penalized by the search engines. It’s best not to slip into bad habits when it comes to trying to rank. Regardless of what you see other sites doing to rank, resist the urge. The long slog to the top, using organic methods, is the only sustainable, long term method of ranking. Yes, competition is tough out there, but hiding keywords, redirecting pages to fool the search engines and spamming the web with disposable sites built for monetizing are not the way you want to go. Mainly because there’s no credibility in it (and, by the way, the search engines are onto it.)
Work with your SEO agency and your website developer to avoid these ranking-killers. The first step is to be aware of the possibility that you could be hurting yourself by making major changes to your site. The next step is to make smart changes that will only help you.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
If you own a local business, you may be inclined to think that most of your business comes from word-of-mouth or foot traffic. In the past, this was certainly the case. After all, before the Internet came along, local businesses put out ads in local papers and relied on their names getting passed along by happy customers.
Of course, Internet marketing has changed the rules somewhat. Consider this: according to eMarketer, 54% of Americans use the Internet instead of the phone book to find local services, and over 40% of all searches are for local businesses and services. What does this mean for you? It means that your marketing focus should be on online search, and a content marketing strategy that helps you attract and retain customers.
The first page in search results has become valuable real estate for local business owners, so they need to use every tool at their disposal in order to claim their piece of this shrinking turf. Here are some ways to improve your ranking in local search results:
1. Localize your search terms
Add your city or geographical area to your keywords. It's basic SEO, but it bears repeating. This is the difference between "Heating & cooling" and "Cleveland Ohio heating & cooling". To keep your content from sounding unnatural or forced, only insert the term once every 100 words or so. Also, put your localized keyword in your titles as often as possible, and bold them. Titles carry more weight with search engines.
Tip: Consider adding content to sites like Flickr, YouTube, and Slideshare and adding localized tags, descriptions, links and file names.
2. Localize your pages
Google's Matt Cutts recently suggested that local businesses create individual pages
for each community they serve. These pages should feature unique content and be optimized for local search. You could also add a sidebar on these pages that includes local events and happenings with neighborhood, school and not-for-profit organizations.
3. Create a profile page on social media
Take advantage of any opportunity to get exposure through local and nationwide social media sites. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are great places to start, but don't dismiss local sites such as business portals and community niche sites. Your local Chamber of Commerce may be able to help you find ways to advertise locally. Check out Google Places to purchase tags that will highlight your business and allow you to post coupons and live updates.
4. Directory citations
Local businesses should get listed in business directories. These could be local, or nationwide. For just $30 a year, you can get a Universal Business Listing that sends your information to several high profile sites, including the major search engines, online Yellow Pages and CitySearch.
5. Network for backlinks
Networking is a time-honored way to gain exposure. In online marketing, blogging and social media are two powerful networking tools for local business owners. Use them to connect with other bloggers, guest post for them, and share information. Develop relationships and let them spread the word for you. Join groups and associations through your social media account in order to find others who are interested in your business. This is how you develop valuable backlinks to your site.
Above all, keep creating fresh content for your site, your blogs and your social media accounts. Content gives local business owners a way to tap into their target markets, and demonstrate to their customers what they know. This builds trust, relationships, and the kind of word-of-mouth recommendations that are hard to get with foot traffic.
Posted by Beth Hrusch
One might say that content marketing feeds consumers hungry for information. 
Sometimes, it gives them something to drink.
Have you ever Googled in a term and couldn't find anything informational about it? Sure, you'll find plenty of sites selling the thing, but precious little pure information that can help you learn more about it. That's a royal pain, isn't it?
So, when a site comes along that actually gives you more than you were expecting, it's refreshing. Much like a bottle of delicious wine. If you are interested in wine, or perhaps are a wine connoisseur, check out WineAccess. I came across this resource through a coupon site (a topic for a future post!), and was impressed with how well it uses content to help customers learn more about its wines, and about wine in general.
So what happened to the Napa Valley wine market? What's the story behind the bottle you're interested in? WineAccess tells you about the winemakers, the histories of their vintages, and features certain brands. It links you to wine-related resources, monthly publications and expert advice about wine. It's delightful to be able to learn something before you make a purchase, I think.
I don't even drink wine, but I read the stories anyway. Do they know that they are engaging in, well, engagement? I don't know, but it works for me.
Are you more likely to buy from a site that uses content to offer useful information? We think so, but don't take our word for it. Go test it out for yourself. Over the next couple of weeks, keep track of the sites you go to, and whether they are using content marketing to attract visitors. You'll know them when you see them. They are the sites with articles, blogs, stories and interesting information scattered throughout. Consider your reaction to these sites. Do you keep coming back to them? Reference them to others?
Many times, when I'm writing for clients, I find myself returning to certain sites over and over again for information because they are obviously "authority sites". What makes them so? They know what they're talking about, they share their knowledge freely, they don't try to sell and they stay updated with new good stuff.
So, if you're looking for a direction for your site, if you're designing or redesigning your site, keep this in mind-- people want to know what you know, they want to share in your experiences, they want you to tell them stories, they want you to talk to them. There is no industry or field that can't benefit from content marketing. Even the most mundane topic can be turned into something sexy (or at least interesting) with a little bit of creativity
and some awesome content.
For more examples of how well-done content marketing makes businesses look cool, check out Joe Pulizzi's book "Get Content, Get Customers". Quite a few chapters are devoted to some enterprising sites that get CM, and are using it kill their competition.
Do you know of any sites that use content to inform and engage? Let us know! Better yet, recommend them to friends, family and colleagues. These sites deserve to get their business.