In this age of dominant social media, does it matter whether or not your websites are properly optimized for search? Believe it or not, yes. If your main site functions as your prime source for e-commerce and a point of contact for your business, it is important that customers can find it via search if they do not patronize your social channels. While it is good to have a strong marketing strategy with Twitter and Facebook, you should not neglect your main site, or rely upon them to drive your traffic. Organic SEO still holds value in this changing world of online commerce and marketing.

Why maintain good organic SEO practices for your website? It seems easier to tweet out new content and upload videos to YouTube, doesn’t it? While the Internet gives us the advantage of obtaining information practically at the speed of light, the transfer of news and viral curiosities happens at such an abbreviated pace. Our attention spans appear truncated as we dish out and receive news in 140 character bites. Eventually, though, if you sell a product or service potential customers will want thorough details. Therefore, it is important that your main website is prepared to accommodate visitors.

You must continue good SEO practices – proper tagging of photos, meta data, and links – to give your company the edge over your competitors:

• Outbound linking to relevant information can boost your authority. Naturally you will have links to your social profiles prominent, but don’t forget inbound link that takes visitors deep into your site. Robots continue to crawl the Web as well, so keep your code clean for them.
• Tag photos accordingly for added search mojo, and make sure your content is sufficiently peppered with your keywords.
• Structure pages so that content is easily to find, and that your site is easily navigable. Remember what was said about short attention spans: if you don’t have the offer up front people are not likely to search creation for it.

One thing to bear in mind when optimizing your site for good search results is that the more attention you give it, the more likely the major engines will pay attention to your activities, in a good way. If you have a blog attached to your site that is updated regularly, all the better. The influx of fresh content helps keep your site relevant and gives people a reason to return.

Organic SEO remains a factor in your online success. Take the time to evaluate improvements to your main site.

ShareThis

That said, one might think relaying news and information in 140 character increments is simple and guaranteed to drive traffic to your Web site, but Twitter is a bit more sophisticated than that. Twitter users, too, tend to be choosy about whom they follow and what they relay to the world. Like other social platforms, Twitter is not immune to spam tactics, and as people grow wise to dubious practices, it’s important to know what to do to keep users interested in reading what you have to “tweet.”

How to Lose Followers

In reviewing comments by Twitters users, there are a few ways to easily cause followers to drop off the radar. They include:

Sending an automated message upon following: Not everybody wants to be hit with the hard sell immediately. Many people now regard the automated message as the first sign of a spam user, and may not stick around to read further messages.

Constant sales pitches: Take a look at a typical day of tweets. Do you tend to push more products than actually socialize? Especially for an account designed to look more personal than professional, this can be a turn-off for followers, especially those who aren’t tracking many Twitter users. Somebody reading the same message every two hours is going to give you a message by unfollowing you.

SEO spam posts: “I just landed five thousand Twitters followers, you can, too!” We’re starting to see these crop up – viral optimization posts that lead to links for various programs and books. In truth, you might visit the originator of the message to find he/she doesn’t have the alleged five thousand at all. As Twitter grows in popularity, so will attempts to monetize it, and if somebody receives enough of these messages they may say enough.

In short, use Twitter to communicate with followers, not to pressure them, and you may find you can grow readership and loyalty with this popular media platform.

Kathryn Lively is a freelance writer specializing in articles on local PPC advertising and professional SEO writing services.

ShareThis

Recently we scored phenomenal success with a client by creating a Facebook page that attracted nearly 2,500 fans in less than a month! That the client practically sells itself – a southern travel destination – helped enormously, but the fixes we made to the site allow us to update with pertinent information without having to log into every single network profile we set up. As you take charge of more accounts, knowing the shortcuts to take when promoting websites can be a boon to your own business.

RSS is Your Friend

The beauty of syndicating content is that once you place it in a primary spot, usually a blog, you can set up a feed practically anywhere else. If you have a client for which heavy article marketing is conducive, you can set up a weblog with RSS capability (WordPress and Blogger, for two), and use the content to feed an accompanying Twitter account and Facebook page. Squidoo, a growing social network for business users, also accepts multiple feeds into their pages.

Maintaining a blog for a client, too, permits the use of widget to bring in supplemental content that can be helpful for blended search. Feed the blog with RSS or XML links from video sites like YouTube, plant the client’s social bookmarking links from Delicious or pictures from Flickr.

Essentially, one task for an SEO client could look like this:

Article posted to off-site hosted blog > fed to Facebook page, Twitter, Squidoo lens, and RSS widget embedded on main site.

Depending on the business involved, more specialized networks may permit feeds. A good SEO trick for a book author would be to sign up for Amazon.com’s AmazonConnect program and feed a blog into that client’s page.

The only caveat to this approach: it is advise to check up periodically on the social pages and profiles you create. You can’t always rely on e-mail to notify you when a visitor makes a comment or when somebody tries to spam your space. Plan your course, monitor your progress, and you will find you can become quite adept at juggling multiple SEO clients through social media.

ShareThis

From an SEO standpoint, this does make a bit sense, considering how MySpace toys with outbound links to make it difficult to track inbound referrals. This speaker recommended alternatives: Squidoo, a helpful tool if one uses it constantly, and bookmarking sites like Digg. By conference’s end, my friend and others had set up several lens and created account to “dig” blog posts about their books.

Thinking about these sites from the perspective of an SEO agent working for various clients, I considered the effectiveness of these tools for the purpose of building rank relevancy. Is it worth the time and effort to post your site and blog links to a multitude of bookmarking sites, given the chance the links will simply languish under the weight of more popular entertainment and news blogs? If you choose the bookmarking route, which sites do you use? To look at the names of these sites: Digg, Diigo, Reddit, Sphinn, Yigg, Mixx, and so forth, one might think he’s stepped into a bizarre spelling bee. What can these sites do to help your SEO progress?

Depending on the purpose of your site, using news bookmarking networks may be useful in attracting local and regional interest. Many of these social media sites track top stories in entertainment, technology, and sports, so very likely you’re going to see the same players at the top – national and global sites like CNN and Reuters and Yahoo! News. If by some stroke of luck you are able to create something viral – a crazy video for Youtube, for example – you may be able to bring in traffic.

To look at Digg, you’ll realize you have a lot of competition for the top spot. Whether you are writing about new technologies or opining on college sport regulations, there are certain to be hundreds of articles similar to yours jockeying for attention. Attracting attention via Digg and similar sites could be helpful if you befriend other Digg users and arrange some schedule of mutual “digging” – scratch a few backs, get scratched in return. With enough persistence, you may be able to produce a submission that catches fire. Depending on how often Diggs user take advantage of the search function, if you make your submissions keyword specific you could gain viewers that way.

If you are unsure whether or not such a site would be helpful to your main site rankings, try an experiment. If your site doesn’t feature a blog, choose a page and create an article relevant to your site. Include embedded video or audio if applicable, then submit it to Digg. Establish friendships with like-minded people on the site, or recruit friends to register and help “dig” you story – one can argue whether or not this is “gray hat” SEO, but word of mouth remains the strongest form of marketing. Friends and family have mouths, or in this case, mouse buttons.

Pay close attention to your stats. Do you see many views for that particular page? Are people entering your site there? If you find the traffic is valuable enough to continue, then “dig” away. If not, don’t worry. Given the climate of SEO and social media optimization, another site is bound to come along that can help.

Kathryn Lively

ShareThis

In creating a website for the purpose of selling products or services, content is the key to high search rankings. Your text must be concise and precise as far as keywords and phrases go, and with clear links to supplemental information and a working contact form. When using social media to promote your site and encourage click-through traffic, you are allowed to be more verbose, as you must create searchable content that encourages third-party sites to use your content – and in turn display the obligatory links to your main site. The rise of social media as a means of promotion can help establish relevance for your website.

As you create content to point to your site, you will find several options for promotion, many of which interlink to create a steady routine one should follow. It is said the best way to sell products or advertise services is to be an expert on said subject. As you write, it is necessary to become an expert on social networks and social bookmarking, so you will know the best avenues for distributing your information.

What do you plan to achieve with your website? Do you sell clothing, promote real estate for sale, or offer accounting services? Think of an article you could write that is relevant to your site’s content – 250 to 300 words on average is a good length, but be careful not to overload on one particular keyword as that may trigger spam filters of some sites where you plan to submit. Once your article is written and the necessary keywords and links to your site are in place, here is a suggested plan of attack. As this schedule of submissions becomes routine, take note to check your site’s stats and referral links as they relate to your SMO efforts.

Submit the article to an article bank – Hosts of content-driven websites tend to look for supplement writings to their sites in order to draw traffic. When a site owner uses such content, they are obliged to link back to the author. As you write articles, find a reputable online article database and submit your content. As others use your work, you gain the opportunity to have your site links from several third-party sources.

Blog your articles – Create a weblog for the purpose of archiving your expert articles. Because Google and other engines hold blog content with high relevance in search, you increase the chances of click-throughs to your main site. Set up a simple blog account through Blogger or WordPress or another source, and link your articles to your main site. If the blog has an RSS feed, take advantage of it. Apply the RSS feed to any social networks that allow implementation. Facebook, Squidoo, and Twitter are just three networks that can feed such content into their respective profiles.

Bookmark your articles – Once your articles are live, use social bookmark sites to promote your work. Sites like Digg and Delicious are constructed to collect links of relevant content. As you create accounts, save the various blog links and article links to these sites, and as people search the social bookmarks for this content they just may find you.

The more content you create and distribute, the better the opportunity for exposure. Considering the millions of people who use the Internet daily, the more sources available to you for placing content can help bring more awareness to your main website, and in turn drive traffic directly to you.

Kathryn Lively

ShareThis

According to the “Search Marketing Trends: Back to Basics” report from eMarketer, $1.5 billion was spent on search engine optimization in 2008 – a number that is expected to increase to $3.8 billion by 2013. (read more)

Source: Brafton.com

With the nation’s economic health in question, it stands to reason businesses will advertise more in order to stay afloat. In a time where print media is experiencing cutbacks and layoffs, it is no surprise that people are turning to online marketing alternatives to reach their target customers. When it comes down to price, it is less expensive to purchase a domain and set up a website than it is to run an ad in a magazine or newspaper.

Where many print media companies require a minimum commitment to display an ad over so many issues, website space and domain names can be purchased for annual fees. Pay per click advertising on sites like Google and Yahoo allows site owners to set their own budgets and targets when setting up campaigns. Factor in the different techniques used to achieve organic search results, and you’ll find online marketing to be a cost-effective, simple solution to promoting your business and products.

If you plan to increase your advertising budget, consider the effectiveness of your campaigns. Taking even a fraction of money from your radio or print budget and setting it aside for online strategies can have a profound effect on the visibility of your business. To learn more about achieving high rankings in search and converting visitors into customers, detailed research of quality SEO agencies is necessary. Be sure to research the best SEO companies to determine what services are offered and which company is suited to meet your needs.

ShareThis

Now more than ever it is important for your Web-based business to shine at the top of search rankings. As our nation’s economy endures various changes, we are finding more people hope to succeed through more affordable means of marketing. Using the Internet to advertise a business, whether solely based online or representing a physical store, is a great way to cater to customers and build a regional, national, or even global reach.

Optimizing your Web site to gain consistent front-page results on Google and Yahoo under specified searches can be a challenge, depending up on the nature of your business and the size of your competition. While it may seem simple enough to plug in the proper keywords and META tags into your HTML code, search engine optimization means much more than that. What worked yesterday to get your site to show might not work today, and tomorrow new paradigms will be certainly put into play. As a businessperson, your focus should be on your business, taking care of customers on your site. Getting people to your site, of course, is a task that should be delegated to a professional SEO agent.

Which one, though? Do a search on search engine optimization companies and you’re certain to find thousands. Some may deal solely with the business of SEO, while others offer the whole package—design, hosting, and marketing. Whether you are a local business wishing to appeal only to people in your vicinity, or a retailer willing to ship worldwide, you need the help of an SEO agency who understands your needs and knows how to implement the right techniques to keep you visible. With this in mind, here is a list of the top SEO companies in the country. Click each link below to learn more about each agency’s services and portfolio, and decide for yourself which is right for you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions about technique, reporting, and progress. Invest your money wisely in SEO.

1) Search Engine Optimization Inc.

2) Medium Blue Search Engine Marketing

3) ServerSideDesign

4) eBrandz

5) HubSpot

6) CINIVA Systems

7) SEO Image

Qualified Impressions

9) NicheforSEO

10) DirectHitSolutions

ShareThis

The proliferation and growth of Twitter has been nothing short of fascinating to watch. People engaging in real time conversation, about what is of interest or important to them is healthy from an interpersonal standpoint, and a gold mine for marketers and business owners trying to expand their reach and customer base.

While Twitter could be called a toddler on the maturation scale – business involvement with Twitter is still very much in its infancy.

The fluidity, and speed at which information is being transferred is exciting and daunting all at the same time. There is little wonder with hundreds of thousands of people on Twitter, and millions of Tweets each day, you get the feeling of being overwhelmed by it all.

The good news is that integrating Twitter into your business model doesn’t have to be overwhelming or intimidating. The following three simple steps will get you on your way to unlocking the power of Twitter for your business.

Step 1 – Listen

Think of Twitter as a real world conversation – because that’s what it is. You wouldn’t barge into a cocktail party and start talking only about what interests you, would you? Probably not. More likely you’d take the time to listen to the conversations and add your opinion, thoughts, or ideas on the topic being discussed.

Twitter is no different. Throwing out an unsolicited tweet that your company is offering a special deal has about as much impact as interjecting in a cocktail party conversation about politics that you love chess.

How do you listen?

Short of sitting in front of the computer and watching 100′s of tweets scroll across your screen, the main way you listen to the conversation is through searching Twitter for items that are of interest to you.

Searching is your gateway into the Twitter chatter, and an invitation to join the party. There are numerous ways to search, Twitter Search and Twitter Troll just to name a couple.

The next question is what are you searching for?

You are searching for people discussing things that are relevant to you. Searching for your name, company name, products you sell (or would like to sell) and industry chatter are all a great way to start.

These are the conversations you want to join. These are the people you want to interact with.

Step 2 – Respond

After listening to the conversations of interest, it’s time to respond and enter the conversation yourself.

Again you are not just barging in, but adding to what is being discussed. This should be very easy since you’re following conversations of interest to you and your business, and your expertise in the area being discussed will have something to add.

When responding your first order of business is to ask yourself  ”where can I help?” Helping could mean passing along expert advice, addressing an upset customer, or giving an opinion of the topic at hand.

While we’re at it. If you find a customer who is unhappy with you, your business, or your products this is low hanging fruit in establishing the credibility of your company. Address these issues up front, and honestly. Take responsibility and make any wrongs right. You’ll go a long way in rebuilding the relationship with those customers and attracting new ones due to your stellar customer service.

Back to the conversation you are responding too. Much like the cocktail party, you are integrating into what is being discussed. Establish a presence in the conversation by being on topic – and always add value to the conversation before expecting the conversation to add value $$$  for you

Step 3 – Engage

The final step in the process is to engage. By now you’ve followed the right conversations, and woven yourself into them by responding and adding value. The last step is to engage others in the conversation. Remember as you have been listening and responding, others have been listening and responding to you. It’s time to engage your audience. Get them involved. Start new conversations with them by asking questions, soliciting feedback, or asking for advice and opinions.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

And now the process repeats itself. Listen-Respond-Engage.

The more you do it, the more credibility you gain, the more you learn about your market, and the more you put yourself in the path of potential customers.

At this point you’ll start to see the true benefit from using Twitter for business. As an active Listener – Responder – Engager you will be able ot occasionally share the “Hot Deal” or “Once in a lifetime offer” with your followers and have them actually respond to it.

You’ve build the relationship with them where that is now appropriate. You can sometimes “help them” by “helping yourself” as well.

Summary

Like anything worth doing, using Twitter for your business will take time and effort on your part.

However, I am confident that if you consistently apply the three steps above you will see a direct, positive impact to your business.

There is opportunity to increase sales, acquire more leads, or have more satisfied customers. And as you get better at unlocking the power of Twitter for your business, it is very realistic to achieve all three.

Small Biz Bee
http://smallbizbee.com

ShareThis

The first thing to consider is the site the expert controls, where is it on the serps? If it is dieing in position 1000, what makes you think they are going to be able to get your site to the top? This is one thing to look at but don’t let it totally guide your decision as I stated above, some consultants may have recently gone freelance.

Ensure that any SEO expert you work with uses white hat or ethical techniques, this simply means their practices are in line with the major search engine rules. If not you risk your site being penalised and after this happens it is unlikely you will get it re indexed.

Make sure the start of any service starts with an optimisation review. This will consist of site diagnosis and offers of further services, all with the intention of improving your sites visibility. This should be done before any SEO work can be carried out.

Make sure you look to compare prices and if you decide to go with a more expensive SEO expert be sure you are being provided with a better and more effective service. A lot of companies charge more based on a big client portfolio, where as a consultant who is newly established may be able to offer as an effective service for half the price.

Make sure you hire an expert that can manage your full campaign and not just link building, or on page optimisation. These type of SEO experts tend to deliver more efficient results as they will cover all the potential needs of your site. Also make sure once you agree to pay that the terms of the contract are set out, for example the term, the amount and end product. By the end product I don’t mean an estimated position within Google or traffic figures as no one can guarantee this. By ‘final product’ I mean, increase in links, increase in serps rankings, increase in keywords and increase in traffic.

Finding an expert can be tricky and sometimes those with the bigger portfolio do not always give the most value for money, so shop around and ensure you are happy working with the consultant and that he or she is clear about your site needs.

I am an SEO expert with 6 years experience, visit me at SEO expert.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tom_Greaves

ShareThis

Applying RSS capability to your online presence offers a number of benefits important to the exposure of your brand. If you maintain profiles at social networks like Facebook and Twitter, you can import RSS into your accounts so that every time your feed is updated, the information is also sent to your social profiles. Already you have tripled your productivity! What’s more, if you use a service like Feedburner for your RSS feed, you can enhance your content by including data from social accounts like Flickr or del.icio.us so readers can see more of what you have to offer.

If you offer a niche product or service – be it books or CDs, tax and financial consulting, or localized information – you can set your feed apart and offer readers the refined content they want. Most readers who take advantage of RSS in online readers subscribe to feeds that most interest them. Sports and news headlines, job listings, and shop sales are popular feeds one might find plugged into somebody’s Yahoo start page, but as you refine your content to the relevant search terms you want, you may find web traffic will increase through the information you syndicate. Offer a point of sale or a discount to readers to entice click-throughs to specific landing pages on your site.

What is the best way to implement RSS? If you attach a weblog platform to your site, like Blogger or WordPress, the RSS capability is built-in. All you need to do is post regularly and make sure the feed is available for RSS-friendly search engines to crawl. Attach a link to your feed in a prominent spot on your website and encourage subscriptions. Once you begin to build an audience, you can apply the feed to your active social networks and attract more attention from readers who might not otherwise visit your site.

For marketing and networking, RSS is a handy tool for promoting your website. Take advantage of its versatility as you syndicate your content and multiply visitors to your site.

ShareThis