Content, Links And SEO
I really like this ‘Goldilocks’ view of the choices one can take regarding content, keywords and links (with thanks to www.SEOBook.com). Well written, original and relevant content will win everytime!
Writing Services For Reseller Internet Marketing Consultants
This year, I’ve launched a new service designed specifically for internet marketing and business consultants – website writing packages for them to offer their clients.
With these packages all communication, including briefing and delivery, is through the consultant.
Internet marketing consultants and business consultants. have for some time been offering done-for-you website building and SEO. In getting their clients’ websites up and functional however, there has been a services gap: the writing of the copy to go onto the pages. It is this gap that my new service aims to fill.
If you are a Consultant, and would like more information on accessing this service, please contact me.
Content For Readers With Intent
The value in adding unique SEO content to your websites remains, at the risk of becoming cliché, vital for search engine optimization. Aggressive marketers know this, but many have, over recent years, lost their way – wandering instead into the world of quantity over quality.
Early in 2011, when Google decided that a shake-up was needed to improve the ‘browsing experience’ of its users, it set free a Poirot-type Panda, trained in the detection of websites that are poorly constructed, difficult to navigate, and which have with poor quality, keyword stuffed, rehashed, irrelevant and badly written content.
So what does it take to ensure your website delivers the ‘browsing experience’ Google rewards?
Know Your Audience, Understand What They Want, And Give It To Them
If your website has been created to satisfy a personal need for creative expression, the following will be of little interest to you – just keep on doing what works for you: you have no-one to answer to, certainly not the search engines.
The visitors who are coming to you by following a direct link or by typing in the url (a ‘navigational search’), then chances are they are ‘warm’ visitors. They are already interested in what you have to say; perhaps you have been referred by a current client or customer.
But if you want the search engines to deliver them to you, then its important to know what they are looking for, the search terms they are using, and to be sure that the SEO content on your website delivers it to them. People who are using search engines have clear ‘intent’, including to:
- Buy: a product or service
- Confirm: legitimacy, authority, legality
- Find: a person, product, solution
- Treat: an illness or health problem
- Learn: ‘how to’ or ‘about’ anything
- Solve: problems and arguments
- Understand: issues, cultures, nature, news
- Fix: computers, furniture, televisions and broken nails
So, what is the intent of those searching for your identified keywords or phrases, and how do you fulfill the need to deliver the type of ‘browsing experience’ that Google, in particular, rewards?
Intent: Commercial Research
Those searching with commercial intent are looking for information about you as the business owner, the business objectives, your products and services offered. They may be potential clients, JV partners, journalists, competitors – or even Google staff.
While the content created for these searchers may not directly translate into a ‘sale’, it could likely have a great impact on the direction of your business. Unless your site is a one-page sales letter, then being aware of these searchers and delivering the information that YOU want them to see (rather than what they will find on another site) will go a long way to managing your online reputation.
Intent: Information Gathering
Informational searches are looking for quick answers, e.g. today’s weather, the lyrics to a song, how many actors have played “Dr Who”. If your website is providing such information (collecting perhaps advertising revenue as its raison d’être) then you need to be sure to deliver what sought. In the case of lyrics, quotations and other material that cannot be rewritten, you will need to add unique content to each page, perhaps as an introduction.
Intent: Transaction
These searchers are looking for information that will result in them taking an intended action: e.g. to purchase, phone, email, download, subscribe. Providing easy-to-find, worthwhile content that clearly delivers the information they seek, and the means to complete the transaction easily, checks two of the search engines’ boxes for a quality site.
The sites that satisfy searchers have the following traits. They:
- Are well, yet simply designed, and accessible to modern browsers
- Are easy to navigate and use, with a clear hierarchy and text links.
- Contain content that is relevant to the query: pages should accurately describe your content and ensure your keywords are included.
- Have information that is unique, credible and legitimate
Advances In Link Analysis Thwart Chronic Backlinkers
Search engines once put great store in the number of external sites linking to a site – counting those links as virtual ‘votes’ for the site’s value. While the principle remains, the link analysis algorithms are much more sophisticated – the uniqueness, quality and relevance of the sites linking in have their own value.
Links from sites with original, well written content are therefore more valuable than those from article networks and directories. In fact, Google Webmaster Guidelines clearly warn against participating in
“…link schemes designed to increase your site’s ranking or Page Rank. In particular, avoid links to web spammers or ‘bad neighborhoods’ on the web, as your own ranking may be affected adversely by those links.”
Content that creates interest, discussion, republication and subsequent links from third party sites (like social media and online media rooms) is important in how a search engine ranks the site for relevant queries.
Duplicate Content: From The Panda’s Mouth
The topic of duplicate content is perhaps one of the most talked about by internet marketers. Everyone has an opinion or strategy, but the only one that counts, in the case of Google’s search results, is Google’s. To that end, reading the Duplicate Content page in the Google Webmaster Tools Help will deliver the answer.
The best way to avoid the wrath of the big G, and what can be the business-breaking removal of your website from the search results, at least as far as content is concerned, is to have unique and relevant content on your websites. By all means have that content rewritten (completely rewritten, not just the title and first and last paragraphs!) for use elsewhere, but maintain a high standard for your key sites.
>> Contact me for help in creating your unique website content
The Invisibility Cloak of Corporate Websites
Corporations and large businesses invest hundreds of thousands of dollars on their websites, yet smaller competitors and review sites – even sole traders – are dominating the search engine results in their niches.
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 Read the rest of this entry »
If Your Mother Googled Your Name……
…. or your business name, would you be happy with what she found? What about if it was one of your kids doing the searching?
Your Personal Online Reputation
Even if you don’t conduct business online, you might be surprised what the search engines return when people enter your name into a search box.
And even if the results returned were actually about the real YOU, and not a porn star or bankrupt with the same name as yours, you might prefer that there was no mention of you at all online. However, in these days of publishing meeting minutes, golf results and academic honor rolls online, unless you are a hermit, it is almost impossible NOT to leave an online footprint.
Regardless of your offline reputation, your ‘online reputation’ matters, and the need for online reputation management is a growing one. This is hardly surprising as more people, just like you, ‘Google’ their own names and find forum comments they wish they’d never made, their very happy faces after having one champers too many, or a series of customers complaining about their products.
So, if YOU have Googled your name, what do you think the chances are of a potential partner, in-law, employer, college administrator, client or associate doing the same?
Businesses too, need to be aware of how they are perceived online.
Why Businesses Need To Monitor Their Online Footprint
Businesses are increasingly using different online strategies to generate sales, to create product or company awareness, to build contact lists and to build and maintain client relationships. Blogs, social networking sites and discussion forums are being used to leverage website content.
The problem is that these sites (web 2.0) allow others to make posts and comments as well, and while positive posts about you and your business can be priceless, negative ones can be devastating.
It is becoming second nature for people to search for businesses online, especially prior to committing to a purchase. Results with negative comments can influence sales and staff morale along with client, banking and associated business relationships.
Because the Internet has made it so easy for anyone to freely share their thoughts about people, businesses, products and services, with little accountability for the reputations tarnished as a result, businesses and individuals need to be vigilant with their online reputation management.
How An Online Reputation Evolves
Content published in articles, news items, blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other Web 2.0 platforms is picked up by the search engines. They pick up titles, photos and key phrases (such as people’s and product names), index them, and display them with the corresponding links in search results. Where they appear in those search results will depend on many factors.
Without effective online reputation management strategy in place, negative feedback about you or your company can create the wrong impression and inflict serious damage to your name.
Sources of Negative Content
The goodwill attached to company or business names is an acknowledged asset in business. Considered an intangible asset, goodwill depends on reputation, which is, as noted above, vulnerable to attacks from various sources online. Negative Internet content can come from:
- ex partners
- former friends and colleague
- disgruntled former employees
- competitors
- dissatisfied clients or buyers
- news items
- government listings
- past court cases
- confusingly similar names
Businesses and companies are not the only ones who should be concerned about online reputation management, every one of us should be. Individuals such as consultants, professionals, social figures and celebrities of course need to be particularly vigilant as others may try to hijack their names for nefarious purposes or financial gain.
Elements That Impact Your Online Reputation
Keywords
Words used to identify you, your products, services or your business form the cornerstone of reputation management strategy. Search engines don’t distinguish between proper names and ordinary words when their robots index keywords for use in search results.
Profiles
Social media sites rank well in search engine results pages (SERPs). Accounts with these sites require names which are used to identify user-generated content that often appears on the top three search results. Web profiles in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr tend to rank highly with Google and are considered a focus in online reputation management.
Search Engine Optimization
Internet users ordinarily view only the top search results and ignore anything beyond the first results page. An effective SEO strategy is crucial for online reputation management because it has the power to bring positive content to the top of search results, while at the same time bumping unwanted results down to pages beyond where all but the most tenacious searchers venture.
SEO Content
Search engines like Google love fresh content which is why blogs and other Web 2.0 sites rank well even without their account owners knowing SEO techniques. Creating and regularly distributing articles, videos and press releases will attract the search engines to your pages. Incorporating your name/s as h1 headings, page and category names, and keywords will all help to influence the search results in your favor.
Monitoring tools
Knowing what’s being said about you and where those comments can be found online is an important aspect of managing your online reputation. While you can’t always succeed when asking the authors to delete their comments, you can take counteractive measures such as leaving persuasive comment replies, taking part in forum discussions and addressing specific issues head-on in your own web pages or profiles.
A number of tools are available on the Internet which can help you find links to pages mentioning your name. Freely available services like Google Alerts set up to send automatic notifications whenever your name, your company name, product name or keyword/phrase is indexed by Google.
Ways To Manage A Negative Online Footprint
If necessary enlist the help of a specialist reputation management service to remove your personal information from the internet
- Increase the amount of positive content by writing, or having written for you, articles, press releases, blog posts (I can help with this !).
- Create profiles (or have them created for you) at Web 2.0 sites, starting with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Claim your name and establish your corporate identity on these networks before someone else does, to avoid confusing and potentially damaging content being attributed to you (ask me how!).
- Engage a done-for-you reputation management service.
Could the time perhaps come where parents register their child’s-name-dot-com at the same time as they register their birth? Perhaps not, but I know of many internet savvy parents who have done just that, because they acknowledge the online reputation management.
It is important also to understand that search engines retain indexed data for a long time – even when a post is deleted or a link is disabled. Cached content may still be viewed by Internet users who may be your boss, future employer, potential buyers or clients, and friends. Online reputation management, just like SEO, is ongoing, and takes time to yield positive results, making it necessary to manage online reputation even before unwanted comments surface in search results.
I would be happy to assemble an appropriate SEO content program to help boost your, or your company’s name in the search engine results. Contact me!
Press Release Success Celebrated In Client Podcast
Receiving positive feedback from clients is the best encouragement to continue to provide great service – at least that’s how it works for me!
When I receive unsolicited testimonials whether in video or in text, it is just the best feeling. Having recommendations broadcast to the world via Podcasts, however, has added excitement.
In the past, several of my long-term clients have acknowledged my services in webinars and podcasts, for which I am extremely grateful. But yesterday, a new client, who was so impressed with the immediate results from a press release I prepared for him, shared those results with the world.
Luke and BoatsPlus
Several weeks ago I was contacted by a new client, Luke Moulton, who wanted an SEO press release created to announce a new classifieds service that he’d added to an established website, BoatsPlus.com.au
There are several big players in the boating niche, all of which are affiliated with newspapers or magazines – with the associated financial backing. Naturally Luke, an experienced internet marketer and small business specialist, wanted his website ranking well with the search engines in order to compete with the big guys.
Luke is rather happy with the 10,000 backlinks (so far!) he has received from our press release, and shared the process with the tens of thousands of people who subscribe to the Small Business Big Marketing Podcasts.
>>View The Release<<
The Podcast
In the podcast Luke Moulton and Tim Reid discuss some recent projects and strategies in small business marketing, with some nice tips thrown into the mix. I recommend you listen to the whole podcast, and to take note of the press release discussion at about the 20 minute mark.
The Fast Lane To More Traffic
One of the people who were instrumental in launching my career as an SEO Content Writer, and who continues to be a mentor and client, has, in the last few days launched a new training course that demonstrates how to get more traffic, targeted traffic to your website.
Because getting traffic and improving rankings is my business’ raison d’etre, this topic is close to my heart. All of the different types of writing services that I offer my wonderful clients are included in this product, in a structured, systematic way that has real, demonstrated, proven results. I was privileged to be given a sneak preview of Traffic Grab, and am truly amazed at the amount of knowledge James is sharing for such a modest price (under $100).
You see, over the last 5 years this hugely successful Australian, James Schramko has amassed an amazing amount of knowledge on how to get traffic to websites. He has used his strategies, tactics and tools (some of which he developed himself) to create a profitable online empire. It is for this reason that I unreservedly recommend this course to my clients and readers.
Traffic Grab
For over three months now, James Schramko has been assembling all of this information into a system – James loves systems. The result is the just-released Traffic Grab, a very comprehensive yet easy to understand course for getting targeted traffic to your website.
Amazingly, the first three modules are free – James’ way of demonstrating that this course is a no BS, thoroughly researched, and valuable product. He does not want to be grouped with those internet marketers who just rehash old material and label it as their own.
His methods are proven to work.
These first modules show, in video format:
- The right way to research ‘buying’ keywords and keyphrases: you want buying traffic, not just lookers!
- What type of content brings in those buyers
- How to assemble your site in a way that will convert visitors to loyal customers
Once you have absorbed this preliminary information, the next three modules (the paid modules) encompass:
- Massive traffic action
- Profiting from target traffic
- Leverage initial profit to make even more
Nine Hours Of Video
Don’t be mistaken though – the material here is not to be learned in one sitting. James Schramko has compiled 9 hours of video into this course. It has 24 traffic steps, his ‘spaghetti bowl’ mindmap (I recommend having this enlarged and printed to plan-size, laminate it and put it on your wall). It is a visual representation of all of the steps in Traffic Grab.
In the videos, James covers each section from scratch – ideal for beginners and for the more experienced marketers (who are probably doing it wrong!!). His methods for building a quality list of buyers are something every online business needs to grasp and master.
Importantly though, in Traffic Grab, James demonstrates how, once sales are made, you can leverage those sales to scale up for more profits.
Not Theory
Throughout his online career, James has been an advocate of Proof. We all know marketers who espouse theories that are often not their own and try to create an air of authority around themselves.
James, however, provides real case studies that demonstrate the results he has achieved using the various strategies that he outlines in TrafficGrab. He stresses that this is a System, and one that can be replicated by anyone prepared to Implement.
James Schramko’s Traffic Grab is well priced – half of it is free! – but when combined with an impressive Traffic Grab Bonus from his premium content writer, me (!), it is impossible to ignore.
>> Learn about my bonus, and how you can get more traffic to your website now.
Google Changes Brings Out GArbitrage And Conspiracy Theorists
Weeks after the implementation of Google’s Content Farm Update, the effects of the algorithm change have begun to surface.
Preferential Treatment? The Huffington Puff
On one hand, a ‘news’ site, the Huffington Post, which auto-publishes stories pulled from various news sites, managed to outrank its original news sources. This latest development appears to contradict Google’s intention to weed out content farms supposedly in favor of high quality content.
Read the rest of this entry »
Award Of Diamond Account Status By ezinearticles.com – How You Benefit
In addressing Google’s algorithm changes at the end of February 2011, which saw its site’s ranking devalued, ezinearticles.com took some immediate steps to re-establish its status.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
New Service: Blog Post Comments
Posted on May 2011Few 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