Category: Search Engine Marketing

Keywords - The Dos and Don'ts

14/8/2021

Keyword Identification is critical to creating content. Selecting keywords related to your niche should be your top priority. The quality of these keywords is critical for better ranking in search engines. Researching the right keywords for your website can place your website in the main results or hide it away from your audience. You're looking for word combinations that people will regularly use when searching.

The million dollar question is: How can I do this and get the best results? I have prepared an article that will guide you through the process in 3 steps:

Step 1 Keyword Research, Ranking, Identification and Selection
Step 2 - Keyword Placement and Density
Step 3 - Keyword Marketing

Before I go any further, it's important to understand that keywording is one of several important steps in your SEO strategy. This alone will help but it's not the final solution for ranking

If you've already written several pages of content, that's alright, but the best course of action is to start with keyword research, selection and density. Trust me, this is time well spent. If search engines understand what you’re all about, it's easier to include your website in the results. Follow the steps I have mentioned below and your website will enjoy better ranking in search results.

Step 1
Research, Ranking, Identification and Selection: This should be the first step while building your content, because it will be built around the keywords and phrases which have been identified at this stage. This stage is critical and if not done correctly you won't achieve the desired results. There are different ways to identify how people search on the web.

1) Think about what keywords you would choose while you search for certain products or services. Think from a customer point of view and not from a search engine or SEO point of view. Collect and write it down. I suggest using a spreadsheet so that it will help you in the stages as well.

2) Another option is to ask your customers and friends how they search on the net to find your business. People think differently and might not use the same keyword phrase to find that product or service. This will be a source of target keywords. Collect and store them.

3) Keyword suggestion tools. There are 100's of tools on the web some of them are free and others charge a fee. This link will help you out to select the one that works best for you. Type in your keywords and phrases into these tools and you will find 100's of keyword suggestions for a particular product or service along with monthly search stats. They also indicate how much competition there is for that particular keyword phrase. It's always more challenging to rank for high search volume keywords. Choose keywords that are less competitive, so that your website will rank well for that particular keyword phrase in search engine results. Try to include long tail keywords (4 words or more). They are often less sought after and can provide a competitive edge.

Once these steps are done, use your spreadsheet to determine the ideal keywords. Google likes websites with more content. Why do you think Wikipedia is usually the #1 result in any search? Build a spreadsheet that will list the relevant keywords for your business compared to the search volume and competition it faces to be well ranked. As mentioned before, try to choose less competitive keywords. After this stage is completed, it's time to start building content for your website.

4) If you’ve already published your website, check your web logs and gather keywords that people use to find your site. This will guide you to adjust your content. Make sure to register your website with Google Search Console as it captures the queries used to find your site.

Step 2
Placement
This is an important step. Why? Because if the keywords are not placed properly, the search engine spiders will have a difficult time identifying and storing information from your web pages. Your most important keyword should appear in the title of the page at least once. Next, the same or related keywords should be on the heading of the page. Also use a related keyword while starting a paragraph and throughout the web page evenly. The density factor is discussed below.

Density
Search engine robots are very intelligent spiders they can determine when you're trying to cheat them. They index web pages to determine how many times a keyword has been used on a particular page and can flag a website if it identifies word stuffing. Now you see now why keyword density is so important - it can hurt your ranking! An ideal rate would be between 10-15 % of keyword density on the page (based on the total amount of words).

Use different keywords related to a phrase so that the words are picked up by search engines. If the job is well done, search engines will determine a page or website as relevant and identify it as authoritative content. For example, a search for the keyword "dog supplies" shows numerous related terms like "dog supplies online" "dog supply store" etc. Select words and related expressions that will help better identify your website within the market it represents and build your content avoiding keyword concentration.

Step 3
Marketing
After curating your content with regards to keyword identification, density and placement, you're ready to kickstart your keyword marketing. Guest posting and article submission are good ways to do that, but always check the domain rating of the website or blog you're evaluating. Low ratings will not give you the internet juice your website craves. Make sure you are allowed to include links in your article (pointing to your website) and that the links are DoFollow as opposed to NoFollow.

Use your spreadsheet with the selected keywords to place them in your article as links to make them your anchor text. These will eventually be picked up by search engines and become keywords related to your website.

Also consider including your site in relevant business listings. Search for the term "business listing {name of city where your business is located}". Some are free, others are paid and several of them provide DoFollow links to your website. The more external links pointing to your website from relevant websites (content and rating) the better. Search engines read this as authority and reward it with a better ranking.

And remember, this is not a sprint, it's a marathon. If you are well prepared slowly but surely your website will increase in importance and start showing up in search results. Make sure your design is user friendly, the content is easy to find and you offer several contact options. Visitors don't spend time on websites that they can't find what they're looking for. Happy keywording!

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now or schedule a talk.

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Internet Marketing Tactics - The Ultimate Guide

23/7/2021

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Companies selling goods and services over the Internet need to employ web based marketing tactics that serve to draw traffic to their website, improve visitors-to-buyers ratios and increase the amount each buyer spends. The use of the web as a marketing tool is a challenge because Internet users are now much more mission oriented in their web behavior and are less inclined to surf or allow themselves to be enticed into entering a web path that deviates from their intended destination.

The effectiveness of an online marketing program is dependent on the extent to which it succeeds in reaching the intended target audience at a time when the marketing message is relevant to the target. Initially it was believed that the web, with its data mining capabilities, would open up dramatic new opportunities to marketers, but the initial enthusiasm has proven exaggerated, largely because marketers were unclear in how they defined relevant and bombarded consumers with automated marketing messages that proved to have little genuine relevance to the site visitor.

The lesson to be learned from the initial shortcomings of online marketing is that people cannot be fooled into believing something is relevant just because a banner advertisement or window pops up on their computer screen. Nor can we, as professional online marketers, assume that relevancy is determined by the immediate activity of the web user. Not everyone searching for a site on telecommunications wants to buy a book on the topic. True, they might have a greater interest than someone who never visits a telecommunications website, but that is not the same as relevancy.

The real way to guarantee relevancy is to allow the user to determine what is relevant to him or her at any given moment. It's true that this is being done to some extent by having a presence where relevancy might occur. Still, the challenge for online marketers is to create new tactics or new twists on existing tactics that will serve the interests of online marketers by serving the needs of online buyers.

Search engines allow online users to declare relevancy by electing the topics to which they wish to be directed. Registering your site with search engines will help drive traffic to your site. Effective registration is a three-phase process. You need to (1) be identified by the search engines, (2) be placed relatively close to the top of the search list, and (3) get selected by the searcher.

Hints for effective use of search engines include:

Don't wait for the search engine crawlers to find you. Submit the URLs you want listed to the search engines. You'll need to be patient though. The birthrate of new websites is such that it could take a few weeks before your site gets listed. But if you put in the time and work correctly soon enough the website will be crawled and your quest to the top of the rankings has started.

Keep resubmitting your URL. Even the best search engines only feature about 10% of the web pages out there. With more than a billion pages on the web the task is overwhelming and getting more so every day. Still, the huge number of new web pages means that the search engines often have to remove existing pages in order to accommodate new ones. By resubmitting on a regular basis you will insure that even if you were bumped, you're back on.

Choose your search engines. Insofar as you do not want to make site submission a full time occupation, it is wise to select which search engines are most important for your company. In most cases you will elect to submit to the larger, more active engines, but if, for example, you are in a specialized category, you may want to register with an engine dedicated to your sector as well.

Use titles and meta tags. Search engines will rank titles and meta descriptions highly, so this will help you get placed more prominently in search results. Also, your title and description will most likely be used by the search engine in the search results, so make certain what you write is what you want the search results to show.

Here are a number of online marketing tactics you can employ on your website:
Personalize It - you can create a personal and ongoing relationship with your customers through the use of personalization. By providing your customers with a registration option that comes with a variety of convenience-oriented benefits, you will be able to identify users as they login and offer unique and targeted experiences.

You can then use the knowledge of their presence to welcome them and offer a level of personalized assistance. This will allow the consumer the chance to indicate their relevancy as they enter your website, giving you the chance to work on suggested products and impulse buys.

Merchandise - traditional retailers use a variety of physical elements to promote the sale of goods in their stores. Some of these include scent machines, music, lighting and shelf placement. Your online entity needs to merchandise its goods without the benefit of these subliminal influences. It is therefore essential that you present your products in an orderly and logical manner. Make sure to incorporate sophisticated search engines that provide the consumer with the ability to search regardless of their perspective of the product. Also, when presenting merchandise it is best to offer a photo, as well as in-depth product specifications. Some sites also offer consumer reviews and product of the day. Both of these are effective and useful merchandising strategies.

Have Good Web Architecture - when designing the architecture of your site, keep in mind the consumer experience and strive to construct a site that provides the greatest possible levels of convenience, information and comfort. The way products are presented is only part of the puzzle. You must also pay attention to the user path, the check-out and payment process, and the placement of special offers. You are aiming to create a gratifying and enjoyable consumer experience. Design your website to deliver.

Use e-mail - mail can serve as a valuable marketing tool provided you structure your messages well and avoid engaging in spam. Use your e-mail campaign to develop a relationship with your shoppers, allowing them access to special offers and updates about new product offerings.

Practice Loyalty Marketing - loyalty marketing is valuable because it creates a bond between you and your customers and gives them an incentive to come back and buy from your website again. Some loyalty programs allow buyers to earn points that can be redeemed at a variety of network-affiliated websites. Other programs allow points to be converted to cash. You also have the option of developing your own incentive loyalty program, although Tudog does not recommend this unless you are prepared to provide extremely attractive rewards. There is a consumer perception of added value in programs that allow for redemption through multiple sites or as cash. The important thing to keep in mind is that loyalty programs show customers that you appreciate their business and they in turn reward you with repeat purchases.

Develop an Affiliate Network - affiliates serve your site by creating points-of-awareness at various websites of similar or related interests. They can serve to create credibility through association that can lend exposure to your affiliate efforts.

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now or schedule a talk.

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Internet Marketing Secrets

16/7/2021

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If you are developing a new website, or just want to improve the natural search results of an existing website, there are a few Internet marketing secrets you need to know - especially those that can provide a significant boost to your rankings.

Marketing Experts Start with Google
I have seen various statistics, but one thing is clear, Google is the dominant player of search - commanding approximately 60% of all search engine traffic. Ask any marketing expert where he or she would spend their search engine optimization efforts and they will undoubtedly say "Google". Do what you can to rank well on Google. As a result, you will see results on other search engines as well.

One of the simplest internet marketing secrets you can put into effect immediately is to register your domain name for 3 years. Many individuals who begin a web-based business register for one year only. You must realize, however, that Google is in the business of generating quality results from legitimate businesses. If you're an established business, chances are that your website has been up for more than a year. Google likes to see longevity and commitment. If you plan to be around for some time, register your domain for three years and show Google that you're in business to stay.

Optimize Your Home Page for a Keyword Phrase
You have to use the right keywords if you want your website to appear at the top of any search result list. This can be tricky because most single key words are very competitive. What to do? Another internet marketing secret is to use a keyword phrase, not just a single keyword. Additionally, you want to find a keyword phrase that isn't very competitive but generates a decent level of traffic on a daily and monthly basis. To do so, follow these simple steps:

Visit search tools that show you how many individuals typed in a particular search term for the previous month.
Type in your keyword and notice other keyword suggestions. Select a number of keyword phrases to evaluate. The higher number of people searching for a keyword phrase generally means that it will be harder for you to get top placement for that term. A good number to shoot for, in terms of monthly keyword phrase searches, is about 1000 - 2000 per month.
Go to http://www.google.com and type in the keyword phrase(s) you've selected one at a time. After entering each, notice the total number of results listed in the upper right hand corner after your search. This is the number of web pages that are also associated with this keyword phrase. You want to find the keyword phrase that commands the highest number of monthly searches (step 2 above) and the least number of competitors.

On-Page Optimization
If you are going to rank well for any keyword phrase, you need to effectively manage your on-page optimization. Specifically, your use of H1 and H2 tags, page titles, alt images, bolded text, italicized text, underlined text, and keyword proximity. The internet marketing secret here is to copy your competition and do things slightly better. To do so, type in your keyword phrase in Google and visit the top 5 sites listed individually. Select "view source" in the internet browser window you're using for each site and see what your toughest competition has done.

Have they included the keyword phrase in their page title?
Does the keyword appear in bolded text only once?
Italicized text one? Underlined text only once?
Does the keyword phrase appear in the first 25 words on the page? The last 25 words?

You will need to copy what the best websites for that keyword phrase have done and improve upon it. You don't need a marketing expert to show you how to do what I've just described, simply copy the best and evaluate each point noted. Shape your site to appeal to Google and other key search engines.

Off-Page Optimization
The final Internet Marketing Secret you must learn is the importance of off-page optimization. This refers to the number of links pointing to your site, the PR rank (stands for Google Page Rank) of the sites linking to you, and the Anchor text of the link.

There are some simple things you can do to begin developing an aggressive link campaign for those sites that link to your competitors - for the keyword phrase you've selected.

The best advice I can give you, however, is to research SEO and link building software/websites on the Internet. This will allow you to make the most of your time and target the best sites to improve your link popularity.

Building your link popularity is an arduous task. I've certainly learned over the last few years that your effectiveness in this area is ultimately determined by the tools you use and the effort you exert. Take my word on it, you don't want to build your links manually, you'll never get ahead.

Once you begin developing the links, you'll need to monitor them on an ongoing basis. Keep in mind that you will often have to provide a link on your website to the third party site. Be sure to create a links page where you maintain your link exchanges and monitor it regularly to insure that third party links to your domain still exist. If removed, you should remove your link as well.

The internet marketing secrets shared in this article are essential for improving your search engine results. Take your time and implement each one in a controlled and disciplined manner and you will see your rankings improve.

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now or schedule a talk.

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4 Steps to Improving Your Search Engine Marketing Strategy

27/11/2020

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Search engine marketing can be a complex and scary topic. Endless opportunities to advertise and market, constantly changing trends and technologies, and overly complex solutions all come with the territory. So, what you don't need when you're evaluating or creating your search engine marketing strategy is lengthy explanations about how different techniques work. Instead, seek out advisors who can guide you with simple explanations and techniques based on real results. That's exactly what the following article is about. Here's a simple list of four things business owners can use in creating or evaluating their search engine marketing strategy.

1. Establish Your Internet Marketing Strategy Goal
Many consultants will tell you to set goals about what you want to achieve with your website. Forget it. These are distractions from the real question you need to ask yourself, which is

"What is THE purpose of my website?"

Once you answer that question, all other aspects of search engine marketing strategy can be leveraged to help you achieve that purpose.

Typically, people use their website for many different purposes. Regardless, you still need to answer this question. The focus you will get from it will help you create a more effective strategy.

Here are the top three most common answers to the question "What is THE purpose of my website?"

To sell things
To generate leads for my sales team
To educate my target audience

It can be this simple! Just decide which of the three answers above suits you best (or create your own) and then move on to step 2.

2. Establish a Search Engine Marketing Plan
There's a reason why search engine marketing is so hot. It works. It consistently generates leads, sales, etc. at a lower cost-per-lead or cost-per-sale than traditional mediums like TV or direct mail advertising. It makes sense when you think about it: when people want to find something online, they go to Google, Bing, Yahoo! etc. and search for it. Once the results come in, they click on what they consider relevant to their search objective.

Search engine marketing is all about SHOWING UP when people search for what you sell, offer, or have on your website. There is a growing body of knowledge (books, articles, etc.) on how to do this. And like anything else, it has become over analyzed and too complex. To further complicate things, some search engine marketing techniques are ethical and legitimate, while some are not. The best approach is to create a search engine marketing plan that focuses on two aspects:

Search engine optimization - showing up in the "free" area of the search engine's results
Pay-per-click advertising - showing up in the "paid" area of the search engine's results

For search engine optimization, first realize there is no "silver bullet." There just isn't a way to easily get ranked consistently high in search engines. It is a combination of factors that always come down to one underlying truth: build your website according to web standards, with a focus on accessibility for all.

Just like search engine optimization, there is no "silver bullet" for pay-per-click advertising, either.

Instead, the formula for PPC success is in well-placed bids (what you will pay to have your ad show up) combined with meaningful landing pages (where people go when they click on your ad).

3. Conduct Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
The goal of search engine optimization is to make changes to your website to get higher rankings in search engines. Yet, search engine optimization is a confusing sector. On one hand, there are "snake oil salesmen" ready to get you a #1 ranking with their latest trick. On the other hand, the things that do work are very simple, and frankly, just not very "sexy."

The best strategy to take is a common-sense approach to SEO: develop standards for your website that ALL pages must adhere to. If you do this, and enforce it, you can then branch out into some of the other "niche" aspects of SEO.

Here's a sample list of SEO standards to enforce on your website:

Write descriptive HTML page titles that really describe the page it is on (in 255 characters or less)
Write a summary sentence that really describes the page it is on (in 255 characters or less)
Write page content that is focused on

Write descriptive ALT text for all images that describe the concept the image illustrates and never use images for text
Build all pages to comply with current web standards

Once your web pages comply with the above standards should you start more advanced SEO techniques, including keyword targeting, 301 redirects, link building (getting more links to your site), RSS news feeds, blogs, and SEO-specific metrics and tracking.

4. Leverage Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Pay-per-click advertising helps you get more traffic from search engines through advertising in search results. You pick terms that people search on. You bid a price per click on the ad that you are willing to pay. Your ad shows up when someone searches on that term, and, if you have selected the ideal set of words to catch the attention, chances are they will click on your ad and visit your website.

Pay-per-click advertising really boils down to 3 components:

Defining keywords to advertise on (i.e. target keywords)
Determining what to bid for those target keywords
Writing copy for the ads that show up when people search

Picking keywords is all about knowing what terms your customers, clients, etc. would use when searching for your product or service. There are several tools to help you generate ideas. The best tools also check to see how many searches-per-month your target keywords receive. You typically want to find keywords that generate a lot of searches every month, but are focused enough for your business. In some cases, long tail keywords with less volume, but more prone to secure a sale are also a good option.

For example, a company that sells Keen high-performance outdoor sandals would probably be best served bidding on "keen sandals" versus "sandals" which could include searches for the all-inclusive resort, Sandals.

Determining what to bid for your keywords can be a highly-scientific process, sometimes managed by complex software and several key metrics. To keep it simple, let a tool like Google Adwords recommend to you what to bid on first. Start there, and start small. Your best bet is to lock-in a low daily budget limit until you are comfortable with the impressions your ads are getting, the flow of traffic from the ads to your website, and what those people do once they get to your website.

Writing ad copy comes down to writing a headline that people will click on, and creating compelling copy below that headline/link that will get people to click.

Headlines are best created by following what magazine covers do: focus on getting attention through eye-catching, short phrases. Using words like best (i.e. "Best Tips for a Summer Barbeque"), ultimate (i.e. "Ultimate National Park Vacations")

and number-based lists (i.e. "Top 5 Hybrid Cars for 2006") have all been proven to work. Writing effective ad copy below the title/link is really about reinforcing the term(s) to search for. This means using the keywords in the ad copy, and starting the copy with an action verb.

By following the approach above, you can create or evaluate your search engine marketing strategy, focus on what matters most when executing your plans, and more effectively achieve your goals.

Target Practice Pro is your go-to digital marketing solution for planting marketing seeds and boosting your business. Call us now for a free quote.

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Keywords - The Dos and Don'ts

Internet Marketing Tactics - The Ultimate Guide

Internet Marketing Secrets

4 Steps to Improving Your Search Engine Marketing Strategy

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