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
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
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
Do search engines really care that you don't have a big marketing budget? Are they concerned about your lack of personnel, or the fact that you're short on resources? These conditions don't bother the bots and they shouldn't bother you, either. If you're a small business owner looking to get a bigger piece of your market, don't get discouraged because you think you have no chance against your larger competitors.
Your SEO efforts can level the playing field and help you grab market share from those who have far more resources than you. It's being proven out every day, by those who are using SEO and content marketing to get better ROIs than corporations that spend more money on less targeted campaigns. So, really, it's not the size of budget, it's how you use it.
How do you, the small business owner, achieve the results you want with SEO? First, think of your efforts as a strategy. Plan it out before you act. What are your goals? Be as specific as possible, as this will determine your course of action. Do you want to see XX increase in sales within six months? Are you looking for XX amount of new leads per month? A certain percentage of return on investment? Staying on track with your goals will keep your focus on the right things.
Once you have established your goals, follow these tips for using SEO to market your small business:
1. Content and more content- It's everywhere. It's even lurking in your desk drawer. What's that, you say? I have no content in my drawers! Well, check again. Your company produces content almost every day. There's no need to come up with new stuff all the time, when you can repurpose
and reuse existing material. Just take your interviews, product descriptions, meeting notes, internal memos, etc. and put them into another SEO optimized form such as ebooks, blogs series or videos.
2. Get personal-
As a small business, you have a marketing advantage that larger companies often do not have. It's called personality, and you should take full advantage of it. There are many ways to personalize your SEO marketing efforts. SEO articles and blogs are terrific vehicles to showcase your individual style while educating people about topics in your industry. Social media is another really effective tool that lets your market see who you are. This builds trust, which builds consumer relationships.
3. Focus on local search- 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. Odds are, much of your business comes from your local area, so be sure to optimize your content for your local market. Long tail keywords can help you reach the people most likely to want to buy from you. Sometimes, it's as simple as adding your city and/or state name to your keywords.
4. Write for humans- Only humans can link to you, so write for them. They will not link to you if your content was obviously written for search engines. Search engines will not buy anything from you, nor will they provide you with inbound links. So, remember to use your SEO powers wisely. Don't use your keywords too often in your text, make your content sound natural and make it useful to people.
5. Add internal links- Whenever you post new content to the web, take the opportunity to
link to other content you've created and posted previously. Readers enjoy being able to click to get more information about your topic. How convenient that you have a link right there! And, it gets your other content a lot more exposure. Every click-through means greater search engine visibility for your company.
SEO, when done right, is a cheap and effective marketing tool that small businesses can use to gain online visibility and increase sales. With a little time and a lot of great SEO content, you can keep up with just about anyone, and compete with even the big guys for your share of the market. And who knows, maybe someday SEO will turn you into the big guy!
Posted by Sandy Fitzgerald
When we were all younger, we floated through life without much by the way of a 
plan. It was great, until that one day when you grow up enough to realize that without a plan, you're not going to get very far.
In a way, a website is just the same way. When a lot of people start their sites, it takes a lot for them to figure out a logo, a theme, a domain name and most of all, what it will say. Too often, while doing all that construction, website owners often forget one little thing -- an SEO plan. And while that sounds like just some nerdy mumbo-jumbo that you don't think you need, an SEO plan is entirely vital for the success of a website.
So how do you know if you need to map out your SEO strategy? It's simple. If you Google some subjects you have included on your site, and you can't find your site, it's time to figure out a plan.
Another way to know if you need an SEO plan is to ask yourself this: How much traffic are you getting? Websites run hot and cold, but if nobody's visiting, you may as well not have a website, unless it's something you're doing for your own personal fun. It's never too late to come up with ways to enhance your website's rankings, however, and you can choose to do the work yourself or enlist professional help.
What can you do yourself?
1. Join Twitter as both yourself and under your website's name, and then use your Twitter account to start following other experts in your field. Tweet something from your website every day, complete with a link back to your site.
2. Create a page on Facebook and invite people to join your fan base, and hook up with other like-minded professionals on sites like LinkedIn. If you have an interesting site for them to look at, they'll refer you to their friends.
3. Add some keywords. Don't make them too repetitive, but adding some carefully selected terms can really enhance your SEO plan.
So, it's time to get to work! Have fun, and remember -- there are a lot of SEO professionals out there that you call upon. But, if you don't have a clear vision of what you where you want your site to be now and in the future, all the professional help in the world doesn't mean a thing.
Posted by Eddie Yu
Okay - this is not about Ling Ling the Panda. But there's a point to this title. I needed your attention. Did it pique your interest?
Here's the premise - I, like many of you, follow more than a dozen blog feeds about various SEO and Content Marketing subjects. But on a good day, I might read one or two posts. Why? ...Well, I am busier than a genetically unique male Panda in a species-saving breeding program. We all are. Well, maybe not all of us. But many of us are! Plus there are thousands, millions of other things on the web that capture my interest.
So, as soon as I sit down at my desk in the morning, it's go time. When I check my feeds, am I going to read that post titled, "Top Ten SEO Strategies??" I don't think so. Been there, done that, over, and over, and over again. Instead, the article title that might catch my attention is, "Brazilian Flying Squirrel Generates $100,000 in Revenue From Adsense," or "David Hasselhoff Knows Content Marketing Better Than You Do!"
Back to my point - Give me a headline that triggers my imagination and I might just take the minute or so to read the article. If the article title makes me wonder how that could possibly be or if there is something in that article that could maybe inspire new ideas, then I might just want to find out what's behind it.
Now, don't get me wrong. No matter what, the title must be relevant to the subject of your article or post. Otherwise you will quickly lose credibility. But a great article is useless if not read. And attracting the reader's interest is the job of a well crafted headline that stands out from the crowd.
Take it from Ling Ling. Not because he's one sexy panda, but because it makes him interesting.
Posted by Steve Lazuka
I never cease to be amazed at how many sites fail to take advantage of the simplest, most effective strategies for optimizing their website for their highest value keywords.
While there are many SEO resources out there that teach all sorts of techniques and strategies, sometimes they forget to get back to the basics. Granted, in some ways, SEO content marketing is complicated. There are lots of different skills and knowledge that goes into a comprehensive, properly executed strategy.
However, in some ways, SEO is still as simple as it was 10 years ago. Research the keywords you want to target. Focus on creating great content. Include your keywords in your content... you know - the basics.
Start With The Basics - the Low Hanging Fruit
Here is one of those "back-to-the-basics" kind of seo strategies that has the potential to make a big impact quickly. It's also one of the most overlooked strategy because it is sooooo simple. Everyone knows you're supposed to do it, but for some strange reason, I rarely see it done properly on most sites.
- Choose 2 or 3 of your highest value keywords
- Put these keywords in the Title Tag of your homepage
- Include these keywords naturally on your site's homepage
- As you distribute content out across the web, link back to your homepage using these keywords as anchor text
What Makes This Technique So Powerful?
The Title of any page is the single most important on-page SEO factor. Putting your keywords in your title tags, as well as sprinkling them throughout the body of your pages must be the foundation of any SEO strategy.
However, your site's homepage represent a unique opportunity that no other page on your site usually offers when it comes to applying this basic technique. For most sites, the homepage gets the most amount of link juice. That's because, when people link to you, they often will link to your homepage rather than to interior pages of your site.
Why Just 2 or 3 Keywords?
The search engines are trying to determine what each page on your site is about. Imagine a page that mentions 10 different words, frequently throughout a 500 word page. First of all, the page would sound awkward. Secondly, a page that is about 10 different things is now about nothing to a search engine algorithm.
When it comes to your homepage, pick your top words and stick with them.
Linking Back to Your Homepage
Whether it's publishing articles on article directories, setting up information hubs like Squidoo or Hubpages, or posting to social media, whenever you have the chance to post a link back to your site, periodically use these keywords as anchor text and link them directly to your homepage.
This will further confirm to the search engines that your homepage is perfectly relevant for those few, choice keywords.
Good luck!