Leverage Your Keyword Phrase for a SEO Smart Blog PostBlogging Basics For Small Business OwnersStruggling With Small Web page Traffic? Consider These Search engine optimization SuggestionsResearch Finds That Small Business Owners Will Need to Improve Productivity in 2012 — CBIA NewsFree workshop for small business ownersSocial Media Marketing (SMM) How to for Small Business Owners3 SEO Tips For Small Business Owners

Online Visibility Tips For Small Business Owners

While there are a variety of ways to increase targeted website traffic, every business owner should consider optimizing their website for the search engines.

Instead of putting all of your eggs in one basket, it’s best to drive website traffic through several sources. This way, you can cast a wider net, resulting in more traffic, and track the efficacy of each source.

Before you begin, you should understand the core concepts of Search Engine Optimization (aka Search Engine Marketing). In order to increase your website traffic and attract qualified prospects, you need to understand three things: → Read More Online Visibility Tips For Small Business Owners

More Google Places Tips

Towards the end of 2010, Google made a number of changes to the algorithm that determines the position of your Google Places listing.

It used to be that businesses without websites ranked equally as well as those without, but this is no longer the case.

This is good news for all businesses who have a company website but not so good for those that don't.  While having a website for your business has always been a good idea, it's become more vital as a result of this change.

Here are seven additional tips to help you improve your Google Places' rankings:

1.    Pay close attention . . . → Read More: More Google Places Tips

Tips for Increasing Your Online Visibility – by Google

Major take-aways from video.

Think about what searchers are going to type when looking for your services.  Then make sure those search terms are on your website.
The title tag is most important.  The description tag is the second most important meta tag.
Getting links to your site is critical for reaching the first page of Google for your search terms.
Having a blog is a good idea.
It doesn’t take 6 months to get indexed by Google.  There are way to make it happen much quicker.

If you would like to get your website to the first page of Google . . . → Read More: Tips for Increasing Your Online Visibility – by Google

Website Factors That Affect Your SEO

Search Engine Optimization is generally comprised of two distinctly different activities… optimizing the website itself , referred to as “on page” optimization, and increasing the authority of the website  in the eyes of the search engines, referred to as “off page” optimization.

While both strategies must be employed for best effect, most SEO Consultants begin with the on page optimization work before beginning their off page optimization efforts.

In this article, I’ll cover some of the things that can be performed to your website in order to increase its ability to achieve better rankings. First, however, you must understand that each and every . . . → Read More: Website Factors That Affect Your SEO

How To Dominate The First Page Of Google

Most website owners are thrilled when their site is found on the first page of Google for a particular keyword phrase. Aggressive marketers/SEOs however, know that it’s possible to occupy more than one (of the ten) of the organic listings for a term.

While there are many ways this can be achieved, here are five tips to explore:

Multiple Listings

Google will display more than one listing for your website if it feels that more than one of your web pages is relevant for the searched upon phrase. To improve your chances, you need to ensure that your “on page” SEO is solid, that . . . → Read More: How To Dominate The First Page Of Google

Google Places Tips

With Google Places, formerly called Google Local, you have the ability to create a high-quality free listing for your business whether you currently have a website or not.

While it’s relatively easy to create the listing, it can be much more challenging to get your listing to appear on the first page for the keyword phrases you are targeting.

To that end, I offer the following seven tips:

1.    Choose you keywords carefully.

Before creating (or claiming) your listing it is important that you do thorough research. You should know what keyword phrases you want to rank for and what your competition looks like for . . . → Read More: Google Places Tips

10 SEO Myths

The internet may be called the “Information Superhighway” but that doesn’t always mean the information is correct!

This is especially true when it comes to Search Engine Optimization. Sometimes, the information may have been valid in the past but is no longer valid and sometimes… it was never valid to begin with.

Here are ten SEO myths and their corresponding “truths”.

1. It’s impossible to outrank a web page with a Google PageRank higher than your own.

While Google’s PageRank indicator may play a minor role in determining search engine placement, it’s not a critical factor.

If you conduct a few searches on Google you will find . . . → Read More: 10 SEO Myths

Most Web Designers Do Not Know SEO

The world of web design is complex and fraught with misinformation. Chief among them is the belief that most web designers have a solid understanding of Search Engine Optimization (aka SEO).

In truth, the exact opposite is true. Most web designers know very little about SEO and this includes those with college degrees in Website Design.

Even web designers with a degree are not taught the ins and outs of SEO.  They are given some definitions and a little  time explaining the basic concepts. However, they aren’t actually trained in the art and science we call SEO. They are told that work should . . . → Read More: Most Web Designers Do Not Know SEO

SEO Terminology

One of the reasons Search Engine Optimization seems so complex is that it there are so many foreign terms used. In this short article, I’ll list some of the most common terms and will try my best to give you “geek free” definitions.

1. SEO

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization.” This is a set of techniques and processes used by a SEO Specialist to improve your website’s rankings in the search engines for a particular set of keywords, or keyword phrases.

Of course, the real goal is to increase targeted website traffic in hopes of generating new business. It’s just that this is . . . → Read More: SEO Terminology

Search Engine Optimization 101

Search Engine Optimization, also called “Search Engine Marketing,” can seem daunting at first. There are a myriad of technical terms to learn and to the uninitiated, can appear to be some form of “computer voodoo.”

Broken down, however, Search Engine Optimization (aka SEO) is really not that difficult to understand.

The search engines, like Google, try their best to “index” web pages for terms they believe are relevant to the content found on the page. They do this because it’s in their best interest… the better their results, the more likely users will continue to use their search engine.

As each “search engine results . . . → Read More: Search Engine Optimization 101

Interesting Online Statistics

7% of American internet users use the internet to shop, of which 57% characterize their behavior as shop online, purchase offline.  (NPD Group)

90% of online commercial searches result in offline brick and mortar purchases. (comScore)

82% of local searchers follow up offline via an in-store visit, phone call, or purchase. (TMP/comScore)

80% of budgets are spend within 50 miles of the home. (DMA)

74% of internet users perform local searches. (Kelsey Group)

73% of online activity is related to local content. (Google)

68% of buyers like to compare prices online, before buying in an offline store.  (Accenture)

67% of people prefer to research online before buying from . . . → Read More: Interesting Online Statistics

Video for your Website

There is a very significant shift taking place right now on the internet, that has to deal with how ideas are communicated.  That shift is away from static words on a webpage, and towards video.

Think about how so much of society and marketing is based upon the television.  The vast majority of us have grown up with the tv, and most all of our news, information, and entertainment is centered around it.

With the wide proliferation of high speed internet access, videos have quickly become commonplace all over the web.  In fact, Youtube, the online video sharing site, . . . → Read More: Video for your Website

How Google works

Here’s a video that I think some of you would like to see.  Especially if Google is a bit of a mystery for you.  It provide a brief and simple explanation of what is really going on when you search for something on Google.

It is presented by Matt Cutts from Google.  He, probably more than anyone else, knows how Google really works.  And there are some lessons to take from this that I’ll discuss below.

Here are some take aways from the video that you can make use of, that will help how your web site appears in the search results.

Title Meta-Tag.

This . . . → Read More: How Google works

Search Engine Marketing for Small Business

If you’re a business owner then you’ve probably grown tired of people pitching you on their SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing services.

SEO is basically a method of getting your website to appear on the first page of Google’s search results for your services and products.

Here I’m not going to tell you how to do this, (that would take a small book), rather I will explain why it is vital to your online visibility, and growing your business.

Why is ranking high in the Google search engine for your “Money Words” SO IMPORTANT for growing your business.

Recent studies have shown that about 80% . . . → Read More: Search Engine Marketing for Small Business

The Power of Being Found for Local Online Searches

A few years ago, at the 2007 Strategic Advertising Summit, Microsoft mogul, Bill Gates, predicted yellow pages usage would drop to near zero by the year 2012 for people under the age of 50.  Gates’ prediction seems to be coming true as the yellow pages are beginning to see double digit declines in advertising sales, as their former users are now turning to a faster, friendlier and easier way to find local businesses—the internet.

And with a greater than 72% market-strangling hold on internet searches, it is Google that is leading the way.

Simply put, Google has become the new ‘yellow pages’.  And . . . → Read More: The Power of Being Found for Local Online Searches