Internet Traffic Solution

Technorati Tags: boise seo, local business seo, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, seo services

April 3rd, 2010 | Tags: boise seo, local business seo, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, seo services | Category: SEO Services | Comments (7)

Whether or not you are aware of it, your website already is targeting certain keywords. The search engines determine what your site is about by looking at the on page content of your site, page titles, headlines, inbound links from other sites and a variety of other factors. However, you might not have made the conscious decision to target those particular keywords. Not choosing your keywords carefully can hurt your chance of being found by people who are actively searching online for what you have to offer.

 

But Wait-What Are Keywords?

When someone is searching for information on the web, they will usually visit a search engine and type in some words describing what they are looking for. The search engine then checks its database and returns the results listing pages that meet the words submitted.

These words used by people searching can be called keywords or search terms. If you have done a search using the search engines, you will know that a single word will generate results that are very broad and frequently irrelevant. To fine-tune your search, you need to use a number of words or a phrase. This often gives you a more relevant search result.  These longer, 3 to 4 word search phases are referred to as long-tail keywords.

Keywords are what the search engines determine your site is about and that is how they choose which results to serve when someone begins an online search by typing in a word or phrase.

Why Do I Need To Be Concerned With Keywords?

Keywords are important as they can be used successfully to optimize your business website for the search engines.  Properly chosen, these keywords can provide you with a free source of targeted traffic to your web site. Properly chosen, highly targeted keywords enable people who need your product, service or information to find you on the internet. Appropriate keywords are like a telephone number for your business and the search engine is like the telephone book – it puts your “name and number” in the hands of your customers.

The Importance Of Choosing The Right Keywords

Choosing the right keywords can be the difference between your customers finding you first on the internet…or finding your competitor.  Keyword research in the foundation of all effective online marketing.

So, how do you determine what keywords are right for your website? First, you need to put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes to determine what words they would type into the search engine when they are looking for you. Also, review your web site pages and pick out key phrases and words that describe your business, product or service.

Write down these words and phrases, they will form the basis for optimizing your web pages so that your pages will rank higher in the search engines. The more specific (targeted) your keywords are, the better. Remember that single word keywords will have a lot more competition for top ranking search results than 2 or more word search phrases.  Single keywords are also likely to be less targeted, you want to attract buyers, not lookers, so try to pick “buyer keywords”.

Keyword Relevance

I think it is safe to say that for most business owners and organizations, having their web site come up in the search engines is very important. The keyword relevance of each web page on your web site is directly related to the likelihood that a page on your web site will be displayed in the search results for any particular search.

By reviewing your content to make sure that it is relevant to the search terms real people actually use to find your products and information online, you ensure that your pages will be listed in your customer’s search results.

The appropriate choice of keywords combined with optimized web pages submitted to the search engines can result in free targeted traffic to your site. This is a valuable source of traffic that should not be overlooked.

In the next article I will discuss the importance of choosing keywords that have sufficient search volume.

 

Technorati Tags: get found online, keyword relevance, keywords, search engine optimization, seo, targeted keywords

May 1st, 2011 | Tags: get found online, keyword relevance, keywords, search engine optimization, seo, targeted keywords | Category: Internet Marketing, SEO Services | Comments Off

From Site Pro News:

The Way People Search Online

Google Local and Map have become a big influence on how people search and get results. We can demonstrate this by searching for ‘accountant’ and the search result returns a broad list of ‘accountants’, but perhaps too broad so we tend to search again by narrowing the result – adding a location to the search – ‘accountant in city’ and the results we see are now closer to home.

So it’s no surprise that Google should be taking a closer look at how we search and attempt to refine the process and provide a more meaningful search result by changing the Google Local search algorithm to make it easier for us to find what or who we are searching for locally.

Today, November 8, 2010 we see searches that reference local business and all the relevant places in that location in a new clustered visual display located in the upper right corner of a search result page. The now familiar map displays each business with red lettered pins, and links to each business. And as you scroll down the page the Google Places Map will scroll with the page so that it is always visible.

The Launch of Google Boost

In addition to the way we see businesses displayed on Google Places, a new product is being launched – Google Boost.

Google Boost is a Google AdWords product that allows local businesses to feature more prominently in local searches. It allows small to medium size businesses the ability to feature more highly in searches, and concentrates much more on the relevance and location of that business than ever before. Now searchers will see sponsored location searches appear on the Google Places map as blue lettered pins and in search results with the blue marker pin next to the content description.

Search results for the ‘accountant in city’ will now appear first below sponsored listings and above organic listings. What this means is that results for a business in a location will now appear grouped with the other search results, making it much easier for searchers to find what they are looking for in a local area.

Google reports that Place Search results will begin appearing automatically when Google determines that you are looking for a ‘business in location’ search result.

Google also says “We’ve made results like this possible by developing technology to better understand places. With Google Place Search, we’re dynamically connecting hundreds of millions of websites with more than 50 million real-world locations. We automatically identify when sites are talking about physical places and cluster links even when they don’t provide addresses and use different names.”

Google Places Rolls Out

Google Places is being rolled out across the world and will be available everywhere, in 40 languages once complete. Google is hoping to provide a better, local search to users, while exploiting a different revenue stream. It’s also competing with Facebook Places which was launched a while ago. Facebook was able to use very targeted advertising to provide a similar service to its users.

Google should have the advantage here though, as most Facebook advertising is passive, appearing alongside the primary content. Google’s Place Search is active and should have the advantage when it comes to conversion.

Google Hedges Their Bets

Location-based services are seen as a growing market, with Facebook Places and location aware services like Foursquare enjoying significant growth since their inception. Placing Google Place Search alongside search results, Google can hedge its bets while not detracting from its standard offering.

From an SEO perspective Peter Bowen at First One On says, “One of the downsides to this new display of results is how it will affect businesses that previously enjoyed number one placements for ‘business in location’ or featured well alongside the old Google Map.”

“Now with the introduction of Google Place Search in results it is quite possible that businesses that had worked hard to get top placements on page one now find themselves listed on page two! Other businesses that did not even have a listing on the old Google Map are now being brought to the top of the search results based on the location of their business and business listing in Google Places.”

Google Landscape Is Changing

What this means is that in the long run it will be more difficult for businesses to rank at the top of a local search unless they realize that they will have to spend much more time and effort on local search engine optimization. Businesses that had previously enjoyed a prominent position on the old Google Map without a website, which was possible before, will now find it almost impossible to maintain a listing without a well developed and locally optimized website.

Businesses will now have to have a visible and physical location if they want to be listed in a local search. In the past, businesses could hide their physical location and yet still be found locally through their websites, but now consumers searching for a business in a location will be able to determine if they contact that business or not based on their location. So as Google exposes competitors in searches, it is now revealing where those businesses are located – hopefully providing the consumer with more information before making a purchase decision.

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Peter Bowen is a seasoned SEO Marketing specialist who has been involved with the internet since 1994 when he won the Entrepreneur of the Year award for developing an online internet shopping mall. He has developed software for learning and now concentrates his efforts on helping others to understand and market their products and services through effective search marketing strategies. First One On has been advising clients and optimizing websites for some time that include not only business name in location but also business service in location.

Technorati Tags: google local search, google map, google places, mobile landing pages, Mobile Local Advertising

February 13th, 2011 | Tags: google local search, google map, google places, mobile landing pages, Mobile Local Advertising | Category: Internet Marketing | Comments Off

According to a report on eMarketer.com, an internet research firm, over 260,000 small businesses throughout the U.S and Canada use Social Media tactics to help improve their business. But forum posting was towards the bottom of the list, with only 28% of small businesses using this tactic. It is important that businesses use the power of this free internet marketing tactic that will help build relationships and generate revenue.

Posting in Forums Builds Credibility:

Forums offer you the opportunity to build credibility and establish yourself as an expert in your industry.  If you try to be helpful to the members of a forum,  you will soon be seen as a guru and an established expert in your industry.  The idea here is for you to always be willing and ready to offer useful help to people.

You want to begin posting and make sure that you do not begin selling or promoting right away. Actually, you really don’t want to sell or promote at all because what you are trying to do is to develop a strong reputation as someone who has answers to problems and can help by providing solid information.  Most forums will allow you to advertise in the signature section of the forum post so you can direct people to your website or your place of business there.

Positing In Forums Builds Relationships:

Increasingly, your customers are turning to the internet to get their questions answered so by being there where your customers are you have a golden opportunity to stand out above your competition and to be seen as a responsive business that is in touch with what their customers want.  In order to build relationships in forums you must to be willing and ready to offer help to anyone that needs it.  By offering help to other forum members you become the perceived expert and the one to turn to when there is a need.

Businesses who are willing to search out and engage their customers where they are on the internet have a huge advantage over their competition and will build trust and credibility with their customers..  Smart Boise businesses have a unique opportunity to seek to engage by using the underutilized strategy of forum posting and thereby gain a tremendous competitive advantage.  A savvy Social Media Manager can help by identifying the most influential forums to participate in.

Technorati Tags: boise social media manager, build reputation, engage customers, forum posting, social media

July 10th, 2010 | Tags: boise social media manager, build reputation, engage customers, forum posting, social media | Category: Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing | Comments Off

You’re looking to bring your company or product into the social media arena,  you’ve already recognized that your business needs social media marketing to be competitive. You probably understand that social media can offer you a way to engage with your customers that is fresh and cutting edge, but you may not know how—or have the time—to best take advantage of those opportunities.

Social media marketing  provides a way to connect with your target audience on their turf.  Engaging with your clients where they are can create long-term relationships, foster deep customer loyalty, streamline customer service, and increase sales.

In order to build trust and a good reputation it is vital for businesses to monitor and manage what is being said about them online and to respond quickly.  Places like Twitter offer businesses an almost instant snapshot of opinion and a priceless opportunity to influence that opinion by the way they engage with their customers.

It takes time and attention to effectively manage your social media profiles.  A qualified Social Media Manager can help you create and execute your strategy, nurture your brand affinity, monitor and manage your reputation and create lasting customer relationships.

Busy professionals scarcely have time to learn how to properly manage and maintain their online reputation.  Trusting a professional social media marketing expert to handle your online profiles, monitor the pulse of your industry on the internet and to maintain your online reputation is the best investment you could possibly make today.

Technorati Tags: boise social media marketing, social media, social media manager, Social Media Marketing

July 8th, 2010 | Tags: boise social media marketing, social media, social media manager, Social Media Marketing | Category: Social Media Marketing | Comments Off