The thing is though, often they don’t even realize this is the case because when they view their websites it is often the result of using a bookmark or entering the URL directly. They are looking at their websites through tunnel-vision.

This is rarely how their clients, prospects, customers, competitors, potential JV partners and consumers search for them.

Printers and Ice Cream

Here is an example. Today I searched for “best laser printer” expecting to see the major manufacturers appear on page one of the results in Google – each fighting for the coveted number one spot. What I found though were a lot of review sites, technology ezines, and online shops. It wasn’t until I got to the bottom of page 2 that I found Xerox Canada, and, like most people, I stopped searching at page 5 – with no other manufacturer in sight.

So I decided to look at “ice cream”, again expecting one of the multinationals in the market to be sitting at number one. Instead Wikipedia is there which many might accept as reasonable, but at number two is a men’s clothing line! Ben & Jerrys (a Unilever company) finally waves a corporate flag at number 3.

Is it that HP, Canon, Unilever and Haagen-Dazs – and so many other corporates – don’t see the need to rank number one in their niches? And is this the result of corporate arrogance, or ignorance?

Even at the local level, businesses need to be aware of how their clients and prospects are searching for them. When I searched for “xxx(my town) supermarket” I found directory listings in the first few pages – not one of the retail giants that have market share in this locality appeared.

In an area that relies heavily on the tourist dollar, it seems inconceivable that those retailers are not targeting such a simple keyword (and do the same for each of their locations nationally). Their failure to do so creates an amazing opportunity for a smaller store to target that keyword, to go through the relatively inexpensive exercise of dominating it – and bank those tourist dollars.

And with the growing number of savvy SEO (search engine optimization) consultants targeting clients with just this potential, it WILL happen.

The SEO Content Gap

What I’ve found, and helped many of my clients overcome, is that while corporate websites may look professional and comprehensive, when it comes to their key terms with the search engines, they are wearing an invisibility cloak.

Their websites often give great exposure for their business and product names, but by focusing on these alone, they are leaving the door open for those very savvy niche marketers to dominate the search engine results for niche terms.

The good news is that because their sites are sound, it may be only take a few months to turn the situation around.

Corporate SEO Content

Some of the strategies that I implement for my corporate clients include:

• The creation of keyword focused content, that is constructed in a way that search engines love, which they add to their websites, on a consistent, regular basis. This content should not be confused with the static websites pages though; they are specially crafted articles, which need not necessarily appear in the website menu, but exist in an ‘articles’ section.

They do not need to be created by public relations professionals or journalists – they DO need to be written by an SEO content specialist. Their purpose is to wave a virtual flag that says “look at me” at the search engines like Google

• Leveraging these articles in ways that improve the search engine optimization of their websites, including publishing these to article directories and networks and bookmarking them.

Very rarely are corporate marketing departments or website designers skilled in SEO content creation, which is one reason why the importance of ranking for niche keywords is falling through the cracks.

Developing a program of regular SEO content creation will go a long way to improving corporate online visibility in an era when online search has become the first option for consumers looking for goods and services.

Why not make a list of some of the terms that you believe people use to find your company, and enter these into a Google search box? If you don’t like the results that are returned, then the time to take action is yesterday.

>> Enquire about my corporate SEO content programs.

Few could argue that fledgling sites take time to gather followers, and blog post with out reader feedback can look very lonely.  So in the time that it takes to establish a site and attract followers, my team and I will give your blog some SEO commenting love.

Don’t be mistaken though, I am not offering to post useless one-line irrelevant comments to your site.  They will be unique, relevant and worthwhile, designed to stimulate responses and more conversation.

More information about this confidential service is available on the Blog Post Comments page

One of these was to establish a “Diamond Account”. In an email to authors on March 9, ezinearticles publisher Chris Knight explained:

“Over time, we’ve come to realize that we’ve outgrown our current membership level structure.

The trend we see is that Platinum-level members are grouped together unfairly. Our highest quality authors are mixed in with others who may be more concerned with generating high numbers versus creating great articles.

To recognize those “Best of the Best” Expert Authors, we are adding a Diamond level to the peak of our membership pyramid.

The Diamond level represents the ideal EzineArticles Expert Author to us. It represents someone who only writes original works, presents them in an easy-to-read format (bullets, numbered lists and only a hint of bold or italics styling), doesn’t generate user complaints, submits regularly and is a genuine expert in the topics he or she writes about (as evidenced by their website URLs and bio).”

It is important to know that Diamond Accounts cannot be purchased – they have to be earned. In allowing these account holders to publish articles of just 250 words speaks volumes. It acknowledges that even though their articles may not be the new standard 400 words, they will be well researched, readable articles – not keywords stuffed and spun material with poor English and grammar. They actually convey genuine information.

Faster article approvals by more experienced editors is offered to authors at this level.

I am pleased to announce that I have been one of the first ezinearticle authors to be awarded Diamond Level status. This is a real benefit to me and my clients, in that I can offer shorter premium articles at a lower price point than my standard 400 word articles, where appropriate.

There will, I have not doubt, be those who will shrug it off and continue to use the work of others for their own marketing purposes, with little or no respect for the effort that the originator of the work devoted to its creation.

This can often be the result of over-zealous affiliate marketers, who, in an attempt  to beat their competitors, will use whatever content they can find online to promote their affiliate sites.

It can be a fine line, and one that is often blurred – which even I admit to having crossed once when promoting a product for which I was an affiliate. In this particular case I used unchanged content from the merchant’s site, which, at the time, I thought was OK – it wasn’t!!  I guess I thought that if it was OK to iFrame the site, it would be acceptable to take the content and use it to promote the product.

The internet is constantly changing the way we do, and promote, business.  The rules of engagement can be open to interpretation, and confusion abounds.   As Michael Visontay, in his editorial in Australian Author (August 2010), said of the online publishing debate:

If you are in any doubt as to whether you can hand over resources to outsourcers, do the right thing and ASK!

Reseller Rights

As I mull over a solution to my problem, I return more and more to the creation of a Reseller Rights version of any lower-price product I create.  It will be made quite clear upon purchase, that people who wish to pass such an item on to others, including their outsourcers, will need to pay extra for this right.

I’d be really interested to hear your views.

One of these is Australian, Kyle Tully, who through his Consulting Tycoon program, is teaching hundreds of smart people how to become consultants to  offline businesses.  Kyle has learned the value of article marketing and is one of my ongoing clients for SEO Content.  It is sometimes difficult to explain to (particularly new) internet marketers why they should invest in quality content, when they can by cheapie articles elsewhere.  Here is Kyle’s take on this:

Why Do Internet Marketers Need To Know This?

Many successful internet marketers do outsource their content creation – SEO articles, blog posts, Squidoo lenses, transcriptions, video, audio (the types of content that can be used on websites continues to grow).  But the ones who do this successfully, do not blindly throw work at outsourcers and accept what is returned.  They KNOW what is good SEO content, and what is not worth publishing in any form.

They know what makes a great SEO article, and they know how to ask for exactly what they need – content that has been assembled correctly, with keyword placement that will endear them to the search engines.  They have learned the value of good, well-written, quality articles.  Take one and rework it for many different applications.

The Birth of SEO Content Coach

It is this that I teach in SEO Content Coach.  I find that many of the newer internet marketers for whom I provide content, are missing the ‘need to know’ stuff about SEO Content creation.  They rely on me to know what they need.  Now that’s fine for as long as they are my clients.  But for those whom I have to waitlist or turn away (e.g. I rarely accept two clients within a competitive niche), they really need to know what they need to ask of outsourcers.

I explain what article marketing is, and how it can be one of the cheapest forms of SEO marketing – if you start off with quality material.

I show you how to:

• create an optimized article
• post it to an article directory for best results
• convert that one article into a Squidoo lens, eHow article, MP3 and more
• rewrite the article for submission to an article distribution services – really powerful stuff if it is backlinks you want, and YOU DO!

For Writers

If you are a SEO content writer, or an aspiring one, then you will find SEO Content Coach an invaluable guide to how best create worthwhile content that your clients, and the search engines, will value.

But especially for you, I have included a section on running your business -

• Where to find work
• How to bid on projects
• A copy of my Brief
• Setting up your business website…… and loads more,
• Including links to all the resources you will need.

I’ve been sharing my SEO content creation knowledge for sometime now, and am sure that both internet marketers and writers will benefit from purchasing my SEO Content Coach program.

>> Discover how to write for your internet marketing project at  SEO Content Coach

Guest Speakers

Breaking with his previous formula, for this event James invited some guest presenters – experts in their field – to share their knowledge with participants.  The speakers also made themselves available for chats during the breaks and some great bonds were formed.

Speakers included:

Dean Hunt from the UK, a real Buzz Marketer who had the audience tittering over his ‘package’

“SEO” Steve Ovens, a home-grown Aussie SEO expert, who injected a little ‘geek’ into the mix

Affiliate marketing wiz, Peter Parks, flew in from Canada to whisper his secrets into any ears that turned his way

The unassuming Sydney-sider Kyle Tully, had the audience captivated as he described the opportunities available for consulting to offline businesses

And then there was me…..

I enjoyed sharing what it takes to create a good article, and outlining how one well-written article can be morphed into many different incarnations – including video and audio.  It was a real eye-opener, even for some of the more advanced internet marketers present.

SEO Content Coach

This was the perfect opportunity for me to launch my 3 Part Training Program, SEO Content Coach, and the response was overwhelming!  I am so looking forward to working with my first 30 students and keeping them up to date on new opportunities for stretching their articles further!

>> Learn more about SEO Content Coach

Keep It Simple Stupid!

Writing a good SEO article isn’t difficult if you follow basic steps – and that is perhaps why so many male internet marketers would rather outsource this task.  This is not intended as a negatively sexist comment, but more an observation.  Consider the following to see if you agree with me:

• When some men are give a new mechanical device, often their first urge is to take it apart to see how it works.  The fact that their investigation leads to the items failure to perform in its intended way is irrelevant.
• When you bring ‘assemble yourself’ furniture home, the first thing a man reaches for is the screwdriver or allen key – the last resort is the instructions leaflet (which is invariable in dubiously translated English, granted).
• They will spend hours cleaning a barbeque and then get distracted during the 10 minute cooking process and burn the steak………..

Back to article writing

So, when I tell you that over 70% of my clients are male internet marketers, it is worthwhile to acknowledge that there are differences in the way men and women think.  Obviously for me, that’s a very GOOD thing. It means that one of my major income streams, providing writing services for internet marketers, is doing nicely.  I am constantly looking for new writers to join my team, and it doesn’t take long for me to see who ‘gets it’.  And mostly it is women – although I have had one male writer for well over a year now (and you know who you are JC!) who is sensational!

KISS

Keeping it simple is one of the main things I look for in writers.  That they can understand a sometimes complex topic and produce articles that, while interesting and informative, are able to be understood by the common man, is a gift.  Convoluted sentence structure, overly technical terms, and flowery language are NOT required.

Outsourcing

So for all of those internet marketers out there, particular those who cannot or do not want to, write articles – outsource!  There are people like me out there who would be glad to help you out – and in the process you allow us to set up own own businesses as service providers.  There is plenty of work to go around, and some work can be done quite cheaply.

However, if it is quality, original, SEO content you need – you know where to find me!

Postscript:

In order to continue to deliver premium content to my current clients, I have closed my list to new clients for 2009.  Please do contact me though if you would like to be contacted 2010.

Keyword Placement

Are you placing your well-researched keyword properly? It should be in your article title, in the first and last paragraphs, and once or twice in the body of the article, depending on its length. Don’t use them gratuitously – if your article is well written they should appear organically anyway. Overuse of keywords will cause readers to click away – probably not what you had planned.

Interesting Headline

Make your headline as interesting as possible – but not at the expense of losing your keyword. “5 Ways to..”, “Top Seven Reasons Why…”, “The Truth Behind…” – all invoke curiosity.

Deliver Value

Don’t waste your readers’ time. Have something of value in the article, teach them something they might not already know. But don’t fall into the trap of telling them everything about the topic – they need to have a reason to visit your site to learn more.

Make Your Resource Box Work For You

If you are posting your article to a publishing site that provides a Resource Box, use it to its full potential. Don’t waste time telling the reader your life story (they don’t care, they just want to know what you can do for THEM). You can BRIEFLY position yourself as an expert, but more importantly you need to deliver a call to action – tell the reader what he or she needs to do next, i.e. find out more at http://www.yourwebsite.com. BIG HINT: Don’t use hypertext in your research box – the link may be lost when the article is reproduced elsewhere.

There are many other ways to tweak your articles for SEO and the associated traffic and links, but get these basics right, and you know you are on the right path.

And if article writing is not your forte, don’t agonize over it – outsourcing article writing is easy, and gives you the freedom to do the things you do enjoy and are good at!