SEO writing with purpose

SEO Careers – From Copywriting to Coding From Home: What You Really Have to Know

2009-03-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was recently asked how one gets into an SEO career. My first reaction is, “don’t go there, it’s not as easy as many think”. The competition is fierce, and unfortunately, a lot of people out there shouldn’t be writing to begin with. It reminds me of the dot.com era. Everyone that had a computer became a web designer. Bottom line is, you’re dealing with maybe 35% of the SEO population that knows what the heck they’re talking about.

However, if you’re a copywriter or journalist and have been laid off, then thinking about writing from home for a living may be right for you. It seems many people out there calling themselves SEO service providers don’t know the first thing about SEO copywriting, but for the sake of this article and for my Sunday rant I wanted to share this information with you. There are many SEO careers on the rise; however, there are also many different ways those writers can find their own niche when dealing with any type of SEO.

This is becoming a very popular job prospect. SEO copywriters however, are copywriters first. They must have a basic knowledge of how SEO works in order to write copy properly. I’ll share a few simple tasks with you.

SEO by definition is search engine optimization. How this is done is by using keywords that will or are highly ranked in Goggle’s organic search. There are certain techniques that become natural once a writer gets into the “SEO state of mind”. They include writing the necessary tags, using your Bio box properly and, of course, writing the content.

Let me explain. Most SEO service providers will start with finding the keywords by using a specific tool, such as Adwords or other keyword analysis tools. You find the most popular terms currently in use and write your article with those terms in mind. Well that was a mouthful, but that's just the beginning.

Note I said “most” SEO service providers. If you want to get the most for your hard work, however, there has to be more to your SEO efforts than copy that’s keyword driven. It has to engage your readers in order to get your readership numbers up. It has to inform your readers regardless of whether you promote one technique or product.

You see, people want to learn and feel that what you’re writing is honest and well researched. Therefore, do yourself or your client a favor. Brand your words along with the services you offer. Stand out, be unique and cause a revolution if you must. There I go again; I’m digressing and getting off the topic.

The simplest method is to make sure your keyword is in the title, then in the first sentence, the middle of your copy and in the last paragraph of your copy (preferably the last sentence). That’s not to say that as long as you have your keywords your page will rise in ranks. That may work on one copy - if it’s an obscure word and not a competitive one.

The key here is to have the content read naturally, not forced. If you can’t use your keyword in the copy as I have described above, then choose another keyword or just leave it alone. Not every copy has to be drowned with keywords. Sometimes people just want to enjoy your story, your experience, your blog.

So, okay, now you know how to write SEO content. The next thing you have to do is article submission, directory submissions, blog postings, and socially networking your content in order to drive traffic to your site.

Here is where article and directory submission come into play. Article submissions help in your SEO efforts by seeding the Internet with your content and keywords. SEO articles to article databases and directories help your site and allow you to promote various services and products. It’s simple: the better the articles submission site the more traffic you will generate. Ultimately, this is the most organic way to drive business to your site; many SEO professionals know all the tools and can advise you wisely in your future projects and goals.

Now, if you’re looking at SEO careers in coding, most SEO service providers have a working knowledge of the current version of HTML. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. The current version available is Version # 5. Using hypertext is a way of creating links both to the page in question and links, such as track backs, for articles that someone else comments on or tracks.

A basic way of creating a hyperlink is by typing the address of another page directly into the document and content. If you’re using a word-processing program, then you can create the link by choosing “create hyperlink”. Most word-processing programs allow you to chose the text you want displayed for the hyperlink; the user sees the word in blue, clicks on it and is taken to the page in question. The other aspect of coding is to make sure you use your tags properly. Description tags, image tags, keyword tags and anchor texts are all examples of coding you’ll need to learn.

If you’re looking for a trade and are a creative writer able to think outside the box, consider diving into these SEO careers.

Small Businesses Need SEO

2009-03-12T06:00:00.002-05:00

With all the listings on a search engine, the millions of websites and billions of pages, it’s not about strategy but about survival when I say that small businesses hoping to gain some notice online absolutely need SEO. It’s just a matter of fact. Small businesses with small visibility need all the help that they can get, and SEO is just the help they need.

Here’s an illustration from my own life. I was at a wedding recently, and it came time at the reception for the garter toss. Now the dance floor was full of eligible bachelors, each vying for the front row position so they could catch the good luck charm. One bachelor in particular was comparatively shorter than the others, and I knew from first sight that he had no shot.

It was true. There was no way he could jump higher, out-wrestle or out-will the other men to get that garter. The only chance he had was if the wind just happened to pick the garter up like the leaf in Forest Gump and gently land it in his waiting arms. Needless to say, neither he nor I were holding our breath.

Now, if you’re an eligible small business, waiting on the market dance floor to grab the searching user so you can have more success in the future, you don’t want to rely on happenstance. You need to have a strategy. You need help, and that help is SEO.

Why SEO?

SEO helps you compete with the “big boys” by boosting your page higher on the search engine lists than theirs. The size of a company doesn’t matter to search engines, and it doesn’t matter to users. Users care about two things: where you are on the results page (because most absolutely will not go past the second or third page, if those) and how trustworthy your site appears. Through SEO you can earn the coveted front row position.

SEO also costs much less than traditional advertising, which works well for a smaller budget. You can utilize many of the tools on your own without talking with a SEO specialist. As long as you have a little know-how and little more patience, you can begin optimizing your webpage with relevant content and media.

Yet, even when you use an SEO specialist to help run your optimization campaign (highly recommended), your budget can remain much less than trying to market on your own, and a little money goes a long way. By investing just a little into an SEO campaign, you can receive a lot of new and promising traffic.

Don’t be caught at the back of the line waiting for chance to choose you. Take hold of your own future and compete with all the businesses, whether large or small. SEO is what you need

SMO is Where SEO is Going

2009-03-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

The future of SEO is SMO. That should be clear by now, if not clear relatively soon. The rise and dominance of such technologies and sites as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Digg, YouTube, Sphinn, (etc.) have ensured this future. Like telling our kids that the future is in their hands, so we are telling the users - not the companies - that the future of the Internet is in theirs.

What is SMO?

SMO, or Social Media Optimizing, is the newest and most sought after branch of SEO (Search Engine Optimization). It’s taking what was once all about writing, codes and web design, and expanding to include social networks, the media and the camera. In fact, by definition it’s using these additional tactics for the purpose of boosting visibility and traffic through social media, online communities and community websites.

How does SMO work?

There are many methods of social media optimization, but they generally break down into two types: on-page and off-page. Both work together in cooperation to build your network and stimulate traffic to your site. They combine to increase visibility, adapt and refresh your site’s style and voice, and build a greater fan base.

On-Page SMO

Some of the greatest and easiest methods are done on your website. The goal of performing on-page SMO is first and foremost to create a greater “linkability” for your page, especially for the content. A great first step is blogging. When you connect your site with a personal or corporate blog, you immediately speak to a different circle. Blogging offers an informal space for you to inform, engage and discuss your company. The better the blog, the more traffic you’ll have.

Also important is adding content to your site that makes tagging and bookmarking easier, not only so a user can remember and return to your site, but also so that he or she can share your site with others. Social bookmarking websites like delicious.com have made sharing sites easy and popular.

Off-Page SMO

Working off-page is important also for boosting traffic and visibility. By sharing content with other social media sites you can expand your network and target audience beyond the search engines. The first step is to create sharable media like .pdfs, video files and audio files. Then, you can submit them not only to your site, but also to the media sites. Again, the better the content, the more traffic you will receive.

Two examples of social media sites are Twitter and Facebook. While Twitter was originally just a way to keep in touch and update friends on what you’re doing, it’s now much more than that. Businesses have begun using Twitter for company updates and information, as well as getting immediate feedback from customers and clients. Twitter isn’t for posting ads; it’s for engaging and building your audience (i.e. potential customers).

Facebook and other sites such as LinkedIn, are excellent places to expand your network. Whether this means making friends, meeting others interested in your particular niche or creating strong B2B relationships, adding these sites to your SMO efforts can achieve several purposes; back links to your site, increasing awareness of your site or product, public exposure and creating interest in your brand are just a few examples of what using these sites can do for you.

As the Internet changes so does SEO. It’s no longer simply about writing and coding, but about blogging, videos, networks, conversations and, most importantly, engaging your target audience. Marketing and networking are now just as important and effective; SEO must transition into, and turn toward, SMO. As you continue building your site along the Internet highways and byways, ask yourself: What are you doing to get your SMO on?

Can I help it that I am smiling from ear to ear?

2009-03-04T15:20:00.002-06:00

I have been floating on air for the last 24 hours. Let me explain. I have been telling our clients and writers alike to engage with our readers for quite sometime. Of course, their response is "yes" then they never do anything about it, or should I say their response is “I never get anything out of it”. Quite honestly, I wonder if people know what "Engage with your readers" really means.

I asked one of our clients to join every Social network they thought would have their target market and start engaging them in NON-sales copy. If you are into online marketing, you can see the blank looks on their face. You see, we are entering a second Internet phase; businesses are downsizing and trying to stretch every dollar looking for efficiency. They're shifting their budget from PPC, while using SEO for organic traffic.

What does that mean? In simple terms, great content with a mix of social media. The new era of marketing, which created the foundations of marketing on the web, made its way to a new buzz in the industry - Inbound Marketing.

What Is Inbound Marketing?

Inbound Marketing focuses on bringing the customer to the business, instead of the business searching for the customer

In outbound marketing, the "traditional" way, companies use poorly targeted techniques to bring in customers. They use radio and T.V. advertising, spam, cold-calling, print advertising, junk mail and more. In other words, they use every method that most people get irritated about.

These techniques are long out-dated, less effective and more expensive, thanks to technology. TiVo, spam filters, caller ID that blocks cold calls and tools like RSS render print and visual advertising almost useless. While these methods of advertising still work to some extent, it's much more expensive.

Inbound Marketing flips outbound marketing on its head.

The Internet opened up whole new avenues and marketing possibilities. Instead of television ads that scream at potential customers to "buy, buy, buy", or junk mail that gets thrown away, inbound marketing has a gentler, more persuasive technique. Entertaining, informative videos, interesting blogs, useful content and tools – inbound marketing is a soft, inviting whisper rather than a pounding sledgehammer. With these tools and techniques, highly qualified customers are attracted to the business through a combination of curiosity, confidence and trust.

The Three Components of a Successful Inbound Marketing Campaign

1. Content: Every Inbound Marketer knows that content is king. Information and persuasive writing, helpful tips and tools help attract potential customers to the company's website or business.

2. Search Engine Optimization: Potential customers find this informative content much easier through SEO. Building your site, and building up inbound links to your site, through optimization and website design "best practices" maximizes your search engine rankings. SEO brings your product, website or company into the public's eye, so they can begin the buying process.

3. Social Media: When the content is truly helpful, informative and interesting, people tend to discuss it with their friends, family, co-workers etc. Distributed across several networks, it gains credibility and authenticity, making it more likely to draw people to your website.

You're wondering what any of that has to do with the smile on my face? In one day I was able to prove that using inbound marketing can not only save you money by getting free targeted traffic, but you learn that investing in your company's future sometimes has it’s rewards without trying.

I was featured in Business week.com for engaging in Social media. That alone has sent our website a nice boost of traffic. I know I may not get all that‘s out there the way I see it nobody does, but the new business I do get can result in a higher base of happy customers, more referrals, and ultimately more sales.

Do you like Twitter

2009-02-24T16:05:00.001-06:00

Since I have been on Twitter I have seen the oddest widgets and gadgets popping up. Sure - give me more bookmarks and reasons to have a long list! Not.

Look - you have to be conscientious and proactive when dealing with a new Social networking outlet. I should know; I work on the Internet. We try, and sometimes are quite successful, at new software, gadgets and media. With that said, I have only been using Twitter for about one month and it wasn’t until a nice Canadian @orenoque asked me to look at some of the tools he uses. So I am thinking this is a hot tool if you can dice and trim all of the fat.

Let me explain.

Everyday I get anywhere from three to six new links that I find interesting. Most are focused on how to use your Twitter to maximum capacity. I can see how one might imagine strapping goggles and a flight hat on before sitting down to use this turbo tool. I am not going to bore you and give you another list of all these tools. Suffice it to say, you can Google Twitter tools and see hundreds of pages on the subject.

For example, some Twitter tools deal with how to mass DM (direct message) your followers. One is about managing the whole experience named Tweetdeck. While I am still trying to figure out what the whole experience is, I tighten my goggles, tuck my hair in and move forward. Yes, Twitter is hot, but I have to be honest: sometimes it’s boring, yet watching your followers grow is a feat and enjoyment in itself.

Maybe saying “boring” is a bit unfair, but I really do get bored when the people I am following are merely spewing links that really are of no interest to me. The ones that really bug me are the ones that constantly promote their own agenda. I am not saying don’t do it, but give us all a break (and you know who you are, @’s).

Granted, I am a newbie, but I have seen my followers grow to over 300 in less than a month. I truly believe it is due to paying attention to what works and how to maximize your Twitter-ability.

Then I happened on this tool, Tweet Effect. Well, let me tell you, if you took marketing 101 in college, you would have loved this gadget. Can you imagine how many papers you could have aced if you only had a tool that could quantify and qualify your results? The only problem is they do not save or generate reports on their results. Therefore, your best bet is to copy your numbers.

Another great tool that I recently find is Qwitter. It’s a great marketing tool, because it lets you know someone quit following you, and on what post. Between Tweet Effect and Qwitter, you have a strong chance of finding out what interests your target audience and what doesn’t.

Maybe I am putting too much emphasis on the quality of my followers and I should be happy I have any followers at all. The way I see it is even if you have hundred of followers, remember we want to hear about a variety of things - not just how wonderful you are and what a great tool you have created. Give me ideas of how to harness my creativity, give me snippets about people in your life, and yes, a “good morning, how are you” is always welcome.

In conclusion, I would love to hear what your favorite Twitter tool is and how it has helped you grow your business. If you can muddle through all the tools out there and find just a few to can harness the power of Twitter, then strap your goggles on and get ready to become a Twitter expert.

SEO Is Not As Simple As People Think It Should Be

2009-02-09T08:00:00.001-06:00

Just ask around. From person to person, SEO giant to start-up writer, you won`t receive the same answers, and there will never be 100 percent agreement, when it comes to SEO techniques and strategy. This is specifically the case in regard to Search Engine Ranking, Meta Tags and, specifically for this little blurb, Reciprocal linking. The disagreements come as no surprise to you, I am sure. There will always be differing voices sounding off on what and why the best SEO practices and procedures are, especially when traffic is the measuring stick; but, the trick is to be able to distinguish who is right.

The fact of the matter is that you may find that some SEO techniques work exceedingly well, bringing you and the client the best possible results, more so than you could have even anticipated. Then again, some techniques are failures before they even leave your mind. No matter how many times you try a certain strategy (and this can differ by situations and change easily with trends), it just won`t work. The advice for the latter is pretty simple: do something different. Throw that technique away, or shelve it as an SEO memorial of days gone by, and move on to something else. This is often a problem that you will run into and one that you must learn to deal with, for the health and wealth of your client.

Unfortunately for some, the strategy known as Reciprocal linking fits into this latter category. The practice of `swapping off` links to other`s pages in an effort to boost traffic and bring in more bang for the buck simply is an archaic method and needs to be let go. Put the High School track trophy into another room, and place this strategy on the top shelf of your study`s bookcase. It is old news. And it will back fire on you more times than it helps you. This is due to the fact that searchers who you use your links are really using you to cross-connect – to get somewhere else other than your page. They don`t and won`t stay long enough to look around and possibly buy. So don`t waste your or their time.

Now, a warning must be given: don`t turn a deaf ear to this; please listen. The temptation for those who are used to this strategy is to stop up their ears, turn the music up louder and pretend that you don`t hear me. If you do that, you won`t be listening or receiving the information that can (and will) give you the edge that you are looking for. Look, if I have said once, I have said it a 1000 times. The world of SEO is not a solid rock on which we all stand and bask in the sunlight. More times than not it feels more like sinking sand. To avoid losing your footing and to stay upright, you will have to be flexible. Don`t make things worse off or more complicated for yourself by sticking to what you think worked in the past. It`s just not that simple anymore.

Staying Competitive and Current

2009-02-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

There are too many people out there who think that they can (read should) continue to keep doing the same things, and use the same tactics, that they have been from the beginning no matter what happens in the marketplace and no matter what changes come about in the SEO community. The path that lead to good results in the past will lead to the same, if not better, results in the future. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” “There is no need to re-invent the wheel.” The only changes that they might make would be subtle at best, and this would only be because of some outside pressure.

The problem is that this is not going to work for very much longer, folks. The SEO structure is completely changing as Google and the other main search engines are switching their focus from keyword-dense content to what is called “organic” content. A roadblock has been built on your “established” way, and it is time to find a detour.

What is meant by “organic” web content? Simply put, organic content is articles, blogs and other mediums that are not loaded with keywords and/or are highlighted in any way; instead, they are naturally written material that stand out because they have relevant, relatable information for whatever is put into the search engine. Another way of defining “organic” would be to say that they are not paid results in any way, but are grouped according to what the crawlers consider to be the answer to the search inquiry. This is a drastic departure from the older SEO approach.

For those new to all of this, this is how the older approach worked. The SEO-based content is the stuff that has all of those keywords that are either bolded or highlighted in color, mostly red, so that the search engine crawlers can find the keywords and be able to “rank” the webpage or article in order of how many times it is clicked on, read and used more often than the other material that contains the same or similar information. Then, those web pages and articles are “ranked” according to the keyword content.

By going “organic” Google and the other major search engines are about to turn the search engine world on its ears by totally changing the way content is ranked. Pretty soon, there will no longer be much need for SEO-based content, and that has many of the people who gain their living and reputations by mastering the SEO-based content running around like chickens with their heads cut off. But now is not the time to lose your head. Nor is now the time to press forward on your proverbial path, even if there is a roadblock staring you in the face. The key here is to start switching the focus of your writing style from SEO-based to organic-based content that will actually do better in the long run.

Gain control. Take a detour. Be willing to adapt and go “organic.” This is where the market is heading, and this is your best way to stay competitive and current.

Submit Your Articles and Websites to the Directories or not?

2009-02-04T08:00:00.002-06:00

There is a debate being thrown around in the SEO ring that is ruffling a few feathers out there. The argument goes like this: “With the changes happening in the marketplace, isn’t submitting websites and articles to directories a big ol’ waste of time?” (Hear the ruffling.) Though trends might be leading toward saying Yes, there are those who adamantly put there foot down with a resounding No. They not only see website and article submission as the only accepted practice, but they are pretty sure that it is written in the Bible somewhere – permanently engraved on the very stones of the Ten Commandments.

For them, the rules are simple and straightforward: “Thou shall always submit any newly designed website to the website submission directories and/or place any new articles on the article directory lists so that they can be searched out and ranked. This will always aid the consumer when searching and the website in being found.” No ifs, ands, or buts about it. This is the best, and only, way to do things, and all should follow this greatest path to maximum success and efficiency.

Well, that might have worked then…and “then” is the operative word here. But it doesn’t work anymore. Not now. Not in the rapidly changing marketplace which demands anything but rigidity. What worked last year, 6 months ago, or even yesterday might not work tomorrow. There is so much that is changing in and around the SEO community that even the “experts” cannot agree on anything. Unfortunately, these disagreements and arguments have the potential to tear apart the very fabric holding the community together. But, this does not have to be the case.

What have we all learned from yoga? Flexibility and balance are the keys to success. These are the ways to stay in the game. You have to be able to move along with the ebb and flow of the market, and able to keep pace with the trends and patterns. When guidelines and standards change, don’t freeze up, panic and respond like a cornered wild animal. Be willing to lessen your grip on the old way, and open your hands to the new. Translation: be flexible.

But you also don’t have to throw everything from the past in the trashcan in order to start fresh. Use what has worked then and be open to what will work now. That is what it means to be balanced.

Here is the gist: nothing about SEO will stay the same, because everything is constantly changing to keep up with the marketplace and the consumer. The only thing that will stay the same is the fact that everything changes. So what is the answer after all? Should you submit articles and websites to the directories? Let yoga be your guide.

SEO Debates – Fact of Fiction

2009-02-02T08:00:00.003-06:00

In the world of SEO writing, there are not a few important debates taking place. These “controversies” range from topics as fundamental as the use of SEO to as specific as the changes that W3C is implementing to search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Excite. There are a lot of myths and misinformation surrounding these controversies, so let’s take a look at all the rumors and set you straight.

• First debate: There is a right way to do SEO. Answer: Fiction. The acronym SEO stands for search engine optimized which is used in any search engine like Google. There is no right way to do SEO as different strategies work differently depending upon company policy.

• Second debate: SEO doesn’t really work with Google. Answer: Fact and Fiction. Yes, SEO works well with Google, bring vast results for clients and consumers. Yet, Google will also be changing how it ranks web pages later next year. Working with W3C, Google will change their requirements from keyword searches to organic results. “Organic” simply means a natural search that will be more suited to the searcher, instead of the popular keyword searching results. This should (and will) bring more people to the right site.

• Third: SEO companies are becoming obsolete. Answer: Fiction. This controversy surrounds the results that a company may get from an SEO company, as well as whether or not to do business with them due to their lack of results. While some will argue that if a client doesn’t get results with a company, then they should not hire them again, the truth is that after the change in Google takes place, this particular argument will indeed be moot. If you are an SEO company, it is advisable to run what you have as far as pages, but start the transition now, in order to be compliant with the impending change. And as far as doing business with an SEO company is concerned, your best bet is to go with a company that has proven results. Bear in mind, however, that once the W3C changes take place, SEO will be less important and the natural search will become more important. If you are working with a company currently that does SEO, then you will need to ask them how they will become compliant with the recent W3C move.

To sum up: The Google/W3C changes may be frightening at first, but they will ultimately have the interests of the consumers in mind. SEO, too, is changing and the best thing that can be done is to roll with the punches and conform to the new changes. Ultimately your company will see better results with more qualified people that will be interested in buying from your company. This will, in the long run, bring you more qualified customers that will increase your sales and bring the ever-so valuable money back into the coffers. And we all like/desire/need that.

Is there ANY Good News in This Current Controversy?

2009-01-30T08:00:00.001-06:00

In the midst of the rain and fog that is the on-going controversy within the SEO community surrounding the current changes in search engine policies and procedures, one has to ask: is there any ray of sunshine, any silver-lining? What (if any) is the good news in all of this? This is the question that people all over the world have been asking for some time.

They continually read about the complaints from search engine execs who are getting sick and tired of getting nothing but paid results generated in the SEO fashion, and they are wondering what it all means.

First of all, given all of the complaints pouring into the corporate offices of Google, Yahoo, Excite and others, is it any wonder that changes have been made? They were bound to come sooner or later. And it is understandable. The paid advertisements and pay-per-click links were getting too outrageous. Also, the users were tired of having to wade through tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of search results only to find that nothing “ranked” was what they actually were looking for. The “Network” mantra (“I am mad as hell and I am not going to take it anymore”) grew loud enough that the execs had to finally act. And act they did. They needed to show their users that their complaints were not falling on deaf ears. So they made a few rapid (some read radical) changes in their policies and procedures to make sure that their users can readily find the information that they are actually looking for.

What worries the SEO community in all this is that, practically speaking, there will no longer be a need for making sure that articles have a certain number of keywords, highlighted and bolded properly so that crawlers can spot them more easily. But is this a bad thing? Is this not, in fact, the silver lining of the SEO cloud?

If you can’t hear it yet, then perk your ears up soon, because there will be a sigh of relief across the world-wide writing community when this news sinks in, because, for all writers, and especially for those who were never fit at it in the first place, the good news is this: word density will not matter. You will no longer have to swim through the bog of figuring out when and where and how often to place words and phrases the correct number of times. You will no longer need to dexterously memorize where the bold and headings buttons are. And you will no longer need to cry yourself to sleep as you wrestle with the bane-of-your-existence weird combinations of words that you have most graciously been given by your concerned, but not always completely understanding client. Now…If that isn’t good news, then I don’t know what is.

How to Deal With the Current SEO Controversies

2009-01-28T08:33:00.002-06:00

With rumors and “controversies” raging, how do you weather the storm? How do you process and understand what in the world is going on and figure out what all the brouhaha is about? First and foremost, you have to go to the source. Think High School here. The best way to avoid drama and spare some unnecessary estrogen-induced tears (or testosterone-laden punches for guys) is to go to the person who started it all and hear first-hand what exactly was said and what exactly happened. That way, less people get hurt and the whole process can be handled much more easily. The same rule applies here.

The drama is this: W3C is causing Google to change their policy so that a natural search will yield more results than a keyword search. That means, for example, that if you search “dogs, doghouses and dog breeders,” then you will get more results based on those words than if you had used SEO keywords. The results will have all three words or phrases in them, but in a natural form. This is a departure from the current SEO search approach.

The controversy is obvious. What does this mean for SEO? Will everything have to change and will we have to adapt to this new search approach? Can we even adapt? Does Google not like us anymore (thinking of High School again…)? The answers to these questions are actually quite positive regardless of how grim the prospects look. But before tackling those issues, you must first go to the source. This means heading straight to the W3C consortium and hearing it from the horse’s mouth. There you will find out exactly what is going on and exactly what changes will happen and when. If you have questions, you can read all the information from their site and you can always contact them in regards to the new policies and procedures. Hopefully, this should calm your fears and your concerns down a bit.

Now…as for what this all means: the truth of the matter is that, while the former SEO approach delivers some results, a natural search, like the one being implemented, will land more interested customers for the company. The results will bring more people who really want your business, not just some curious surfers who may not truly be interested in what you have for sale. This will not only boost business but also increase the traffic to your site. All this means: added rewards for you. Plus, by using the guidelines issued by W3C, you will have everything at hand to make the changeover easily. This is a win/win.

Understand, then, that change is inevitable, and it isn’t always a bad thing. True, when change occurs, it will be difficult for a little while. But all should/will even out and your business and company will be the better for it. The changes to a natural, organic flow have already been started and there are guidelines already available out there for companies and businesses to start the change over now. There is no need for tears (or punches)…at least not this go-around.

Submitting articles to directories

2009-01-27T08:49:00.001-06:00

Submitting articles and web pages to their respective directories has, for the last so many years, been a cut and dry, cookie-cutter-esque, type of process, in which you followed a specific set of rules designed to simplify and streamline the process. But, the guidelines that were meant to speed up the process and make it “so much easier” for those submitting have actually become more confusing and outdated than helpful. This has led many people in the SEO community to stop submitting through the process and, instead, to post through other means. They say that they have even received much better results.

So should we all abandon ship and follow these discoverers into the open water? As will be no surprise, some say Yes and some say No. The die-hard “old guard” types in the SEO community want to stay on the ship. They like their cabin and they don’t mind the food. They have even grown accustom to the mixing smells of saltwater and wood. But, there are also those out there who say that there are several reasons to go ahead paddle away. And unfortunately there is no happy medium between the two viewpoints right now, which is making more of a mess out of an already confusing situation.

Chief among the reasons for those who are abandoning is that there is a storm coming that will most likely tear the SEO ship to bits. With the rise of organic searches, SEO will become obsolete, so all former tactics needs to be discarded and new strategies must be developed. This will be a good thing for the searchers, as they will be able to more easily and more quickly find what they are actually searching for. Also, the results will appear in and order of importance that makes more sense to the searcher.

This means that there won’t be a bunch of paid advertisements at the top of the results page confusing the searcher who is looking for something specific. Practically speaking for the companies, this also means that it won’t matter any longer if you have the best article, product or web site and are on the top of the list next to paid advertisements. The searcher can and will just skip on over you. So it is time to change. It is time to start re-thinking how articles are written and submitted, because the trends are going in a different direction.

Want someone (or something) to blame? Blame all the paid advertisements that are all over the place. Functionally they are how Google and the other search engines were able to start making money in the beginning. But they have gotten out of hand, and the searchers are fed up with it. So change is coming. Are you “on board”?

Google Guidelines for SEO Services: Best Practices or Standardized Optimization?

2009-01-23T08:28:00.000-06:00

Link for Guidelines

"Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit." Google Guidelines, 2008

There's been an argument for a long time among SEO services revolving around whether or not there should be SEO standards. Specifically, the debates question whether a set of standards is actually a "best practices" list or an inhibiting factor for SEO. Now throw into the equation the fact that Google has published a set of "optimization guidelines." Is this “best practice” or SEO inhibition?

Something to consider: Google is the number one search engine - the big Kahuna. They are Big Momma in the SEO house, and whatever Big Momma says and wants, Big Momma gets. So…If Google says, "This guide will help make your website more 'crawlable’, and these are the basic guidelines for optimizing for our search engine", then should we really be worrying about semantics? Does it really make a difference if they're “best practices” or constricting standards?

Better yet, as companies that provide SEO services, aren't we obligated by our positions to at least look them over? I mean if anyone is the expert on what works and doesn’t work, wouldn't it BE Google?

Google Guidelines for Optimization
Those in the SEO community who provide SEO services may or may not agree with the guidelines. After all, SEO is a school of many theories. However, most, if not all, of these guidelines make sense; to turn away because you don't want to be hemmed in by rules or structure is to turn away from success for your clients. So here is what you should:

• Make every page accessible with at least one static text link. Definitely "best practices" for SEO services and web designers. Just like users, engines don't like to have to search for informational pages.

• Have information-rich pages that describe your content well. Again, "best practices". For example, what good is it to have a site with information that isn't related?

• Use text to display important content instead of images. While you can put text over an image, using an image to display the text cuts down on the effectiveness of the copy your SEO services provide.

• Check your site with a text browser. If you can't see all of your site because of fancy flash and script, neither can Google.

• Use an XTML Sitemap. For those sites that are too complicated to be crawled, an XTML Sitemap is especially helpful. If the spiders get lost, they can refer back to the sitemap.

• Don't try to trick the search engines to improve ranking. If you wouldn't feel comfortable explaining what you've done for a client to a competitor, don't do it.

Not only are the guidelines clear about “do's", but they set out their list of “don’t’s” as well. These include: cloaking, automated queries, and pages with irrelevant keywords (to name a few).

This is just a small portion of the list; there are many more tips in the Google guidelines. So, to all the other SEO services out there I say, forget semantics (unless it's semantic web) and read the guide. Whether best practices or SEO standards, the guidelines are there to show us the way.

Internet Marketing Tactics For These Tough Times (From Google and Me!)

2009-01-12T07:54:00.002-06:00

As we enter into these uncertain times, online marketers and webmasters need all the help they can get. Recently, Google mailed a small booklet to its Adsense users; in it Google gives "6 Top Tactics For Tough Times." It is obviously referring to its Adwords PPC (Pay Per Click) program and clients but Google's advice can be applied to your general online marketíng.

These tactics include: (quoting directly from the Google mail-out)

1. Focus your ads on low prices and savíngs.
2. Use Value-related keywords.
3. Ensure your ad groups are targeted and relevant.
4. Don't waste money on irrelevant clicks.
5. Make it easy for customers to buy.
6. Focus your money on your high-performers. (End Quote)

Sound advice and I especially like the idea of focusing your marketing on low prices and savíngs mainly because people want bargains in tight economic times. I also like the fact that you must make it easy for your customers to buy... something as simple as putting your "order/buy link" above the fold can improve your conversions.

Also, targeting value-related keywords, is a very effective marketing tactic. Relating your keywords to "discounts, bargains, cheap, inexpensive, lowest prices..." will help improve your sales. So too, is catering to phrases that suggest the searcher is in a buying mind-set: gifts, presents, gift ideas, wedding gifts... shoppers searching those words are ready to buy.

Plus, focusing your time and money on your high-performers is solid advice. Sometimes succeeding online is simply finding a market niche that works/performs - then running with it. Once you have found the keywords and products that perform well with your site or sites - focus the majority of your time and energy developing those niche markets.

Now here are some of my most effective marketing tactics that have worked for me and tactics I will be relying on in the coming years - even in these hard times.

Make Keywords Your #1 Goal

This is the single most important factor for my own online success. You have to make keywords and ranking high for them in all the search engines your main objective if you're marketing online. Might sound obvious, but many beginning marketers don't truly understand how important getting top rankings for your chosen keywords will be in your online success.

Target less competitive long tail (multi-worded) keywords to get started and slowly work your way up to more popular keywords. Center your marketing around getting those first page listings (Top Five) for your keywords. Achieve this goal, (especially in Google) and it will be almost impossible for you not to succeed and make a profit with your online marketing even in bad times.

Autoresponders, Líst Building & Online Relationships

Keeping in contact with potential buyers is mission critical. You must use autoresponders to send follow-up messages to build trustful relationships with your potential customers.

So building a large contact líst is essential. That's why the social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace can be very effective marketing tools for building this online contact and trust. Truth be told, all these social networks are, more or less, just glorified autoresponders and líst builders!

Your Unique Selling Position

You must give potential customers some very good reasons for them to buy from you or your links. Offering special bonuses and discounts works wonders for your sales. Some of my most successful pages simply consist of coupons and discounts offered by different companies. If buyers can save $100's OFF by buying thru your links, they will.

Always remember, besides looking for the best deal or bargain, consumers are also looking for a quality product. If you're into affiliate marketing, only pick top quality products to promote. Picking top brand names also makes it easier to make sales. So too is only promoting popular online merchants like Amazon which can be an effective marketing strategy. Most importantly, always remember consumers are also looking for INFORMATION on the products they are considering buying, give them helpful information and you will succeed.

Go With The Flow

If you're marketing online, you have to follow what's working for you. Most times you will try countless ideas or tactics - once you have found a process or system that works, really work it or scale it up. Making your first dollar is the hardest, but once you do something that earns you that dollar, just repeat that "something" a thousand times.

Tracking what works is very important so keep a close eye on your site's traffic logs to find where your customers are coming from. Something like Google Analytics is simply priceless for "fine-tuning" your site and your internet marketing. It will tell you what's working and what's not.

Target Recurring or Residual Income

One of my most effective marketing strategies is to promote and sell products and services that give you a recurring or residual income. Make one sale and get paíd for years or for the life of that referred client. Concentrate on services like web-hosting, telephone, marketing programs... once customers sign up to these services, they will likely keep them for years. I am still earning income from sales I made five years ago.

Building a large residual income could be the key to surviving in tough economic times. This will be income which will carry you or your business over the rough patches since it is based upon past performance and not on your current selling situation.

Automate Everything

The real beauty of marketing online and using computers... you can automate just about every process in your marketing system. Make it a point of automating everything you do... use autoresponders to follow-up with potential buyers, use automatic check-outs, automatic reporting... just set-up your whole internet marketing system that runs itself with little or no supervision from you. This will free up your time to concentrate all your efforts on marketing/promoting your site or product. Besides, nothing beats coming back from a vacatíon and finding out you have earned the cost of your vacatíon and then some - all the while you were lying in the sun and miles away from any computer.

Find The Top Online Marketers

If you're just starting with internet marketing, you need to find the top successful marketers and "model" what they're doing. This is relatively a new industry and you have to seek out the experts and pioneers who have set the groundwork. When I first started marketing online, I was quite fortunate to come into contact with some web marketing heavy-weights such as Marlon Sanders, Ken Evoy, Neil Shearing... and SEO experts like Brad Callen and Aaron Wall.

Make Google Your Friend

Whether you love or hate Google doesn't matter, you just have to make it your number one ally in your online marketíng. Google has just about conquered the world-wide search market, Yahoo and MSN are still important, but Google is the deal-breaker when you're selling stuff online. Consumers have enormous respect for Google, a number one listing for a lucrative keyword simply means money in the bank.

I have found using Google Search, Google Adwords, and Google Adsense have played a more than significant role in the success of my own online sites and marketing. Google tools such as Google Analytics, Google Alerts, Webmaster Tools... all have been invaluable and an enormous help in achieving my "web-based" lifestyle and livelihood. Of course, Google has also driven me around the bend more times than I can count, but no one is perfect. Besides, when it's all said and done, anyone marketing on the web must truly embrace Google if they want to reach their highest level possible.

Copyright © 2009 Titus Hoskins

SEO Is Not As Simple As People Think It Should Be

2009-01-03T15:21:00.008-06:00

There is never going to be a one hundred percent agreement from anyone involved in the online SEO field and process with regards to techniques Search Engine Ranking, Meta Tags, Reciprocal Linking, link building social marketing and the list goes on and on.

There are always going to be arguments as to which SEO technique works best, in what situation and how the strategy will work to get the most traffic. In reality this will really only bring traffic to your site... Not enough to break the bank though. What's missing is conversions.

Oftentimes, the SEO techniques that you are using will either bring you the best possible results for your keywords; or you will find out that nothing works and the different techniques that you have been using is never going to give you the chance or possibility to yield the results that you want. This is often the problem my clients run into and one that you will have to learn to deal with; once you figure out what to change, (most are clueless) how to change it, (some consider total web re-design) where to make the changes (is it the tags, the link building, the blog...?) and how to make those changes work ( like anyone has that kind of time on their hands )in the best possible ways that you will not regret the decision(s) that you made.

The mistakes that people often make are with reciprocal links. Basically the thinking is that they are going to get more traffic than they would normally get from organic search engine results. They start “swapping off” links to each other’s pages in the effort to help each other get the best possible bang for the buck. What these people do not realize is that this strategy is “old news” and will back-fire on you more times than it actually helps you.

Here is the real deal on that "technique" these people (link builders) are using your page to cross-connect, to get to, another person’s page on a completely different website altogether that is either along the similar line of thinking, products and/or services or content. The main problem here is that those visitors really do not stay on your website long enough to even look around to see if you have what they are looking for. This is something that is more of a waste of time than anything else, folks. Basically empty hits that have absolutely no value to your ROI.

Many people that do this will certainly argue with this viewpoint, and will even be completely turned off by the ideas and information that I am offering here and will “turn a deaf ear”, or drop me like a rented mule so to speak. Thus the information I am supplying here is maybe too progressive or boxed in this ever-changing world. It's true what they say about your web presence one minutes you are standing on solid rock and on shifting sand the very next day, week, or month.

If you are not using new ideas and SEO techniques that can be flexible, you are actually making things much more complicated for yourself. Just remember folks using a bunch of keywords in the right places is not enough any more. You have to do so much more.

SEO Controversies – Fact or Fiction

2009-01-02T17:25:00.012-06:00

In the world of SEO writing, there are a good many controversies swirling. These controversies range from the use of SEO to the changes that W3C is implementing to search engines such as Google. There are a lot of myths and misinformation that are driving some of us in the industry batty and a lot of us dive into these rumors. Let’s take a look at some of the rumors/controversy and see if we can pick through them.

How do you "SEO"? • Our first rumor and controversy involves the right way to optimize your content or website. "SEO" means search engine optimization or optimizer; it works for most search engines. There's no real "right way", as strategies vary from company to company.

Can I trick the Search engines ? • Now this leads into the next controversy which is SEO arranging and Google. Google will be changing how it ranks web pages in 2009. There has been a plan that was arranged with W3C in regards to how this will be run. Once this change is implemented, organic results will be stressed instead of keywords results. Organic simply means natural search and will be more suited to the person searching instead of the popular keyword searching results. This will indeed bring more people to your site.

How can I know if SEO works? • While some will argue that if they don’t get results with a company then you should fire them. Listen have you allowed them at least 30 -60 days to show you results? You see after the changes in Google takes place, this particular argument will indeed be moot. Right now, it is advisable to run what you have as far as pages, but start changing them now, in order to be compliant when the change occurs.

How can I pick an SEO provider? • Right now, as far as doing business with an SEO company is concerned, your best bet is to go with a company that has proven results. However, bear in mind that once the Google changes take place, the norm of search engines optimization will be a thing of the past and companies as well as individuals will have to do things much differently than they do now. Search engine techniques will be less important and the natural search will become more important. If you are working with a company currently that does SEO, then you will need to ask them how they will become compliant with the recent W3C edict for the new changes.

The Google/W3C changes in the World Wide Web, may be frightening at first, but will ultimately result in the best things possible with consumers. SEO is changing and the best thing that can be done is to roll with the punches and conform to the new changes. Ultimately your company will see better results which in turn mean ROI. This will, in the long run, bring you more qualified customers that will buy your service or product. In conclusion it's not all doom and gloom the new changes will benefit all.

When is SEO necessary?

2009-01-02T17:25:00.009-06:00

Whether you are a small business owner or a CEO of a large company you cannot help but wonder about this topic. I have been asked this very same question by both; when is SEO necessary?

This is because most people out there still do not understand nor have the time to inform themselves about the real power that SEO articles and copy carry. There are really two major factors to consider. The first point (and advantage) of these articles is that they are rich in keywords/phrases which are designed to get the attention of the search engines “crawlers” –these are akin to electronic spiders that go searching the entire Internet for the information that you are looking for based upon what you have just typed into the search box. Secondly the copy should read well, engage the readers and entice them to click on your site. Hopefully and ultimately offering them the solution, the service, or that new magic potion you offer.

In case you are not aware SEO, stands for Search Engine Optimization. In it's purest form, this style of copywriting is designed to help the search engine “crawlers” find what the reader is looking for based upon how those articles are ranked by the search engines themselves.

So maybe you are wondering how do I write SEO Articles? First you need to know the basics of writing copy. The main thing is to have a goal in mind, an outline if you will that will make the words flow. Then I pick out a keyword or phrase that characterizes your item, product or idea. This can be anything from the name of a specific product or place to something like writing content geared towards the real estate market. The point of the keywords/phrases is the main idea of what the SEO article is all about.

If you are writing articles for someone else, they are likely to give you the necessary keywords. Most will also ask for a certain keyword density. I always advise the client that a 3%-5% keyword density is best. That translates into great copy without stuffing too many keywords. You see there are three forms of keywords. They are:

a. primary

b. secondary

c. tertiary

Lets hypothetically say the client wants the main keyword to be Alcohol Abuse.

I would then break it down like this

a. Primary (main keyword or key phrase given) alcohol abuse
b. Secondary (related topics) alcohol abuse statistics, alcohol abuse effects
c. Tertiary (Variations of keyword or key phrase) alcohol and abuse, abuse of alcohol

Sometimes I get carried away therefore before I regress again you are wondering back to the original question here: when is SEO necessary? Anytime you are on the World Wide Web SEO/SEM and all it's variations of techniques are necessary.

Is SEO necessary to make your mark in this very competitive marketplace? This is one of those questions that people have been asking for quite a while, and the answer is a resounding YES folks! SEO Articles are meant to draw the attention of not only the search engine crawlers and those readers that you really want to reach.

You're familiar with the language used: "act now and we'll send you two pieces of junk you don't need, but wait there's more, call in the next ten minutes and we'll add a third useless item."

Does any intelligent person really respond to this kind of pitch, and what self-respecting business would actually behave in this manner? The fact is, if you sell something of value at a reasonable price, and you treat your customers with some respect, you will get your share of business.

You may not get all the business, nobody does, but the business you do get, will result in more satisfied customers, more word-of-mouth referrals, and ultimately more sales.

This is why it is so important to stay in touch with your clients and new potential business. Many businesses think that they don’t need to know anything about SEO Articles, but they are very wrong indeed. This kind of thinking is what leads them to ask the title question of when is SEO necessary? All the time, is the answer to that.

SEO Careers – From Copywriting to Coding, What You Really Have to Know

2009-01-02T17:20:00.004-06:00

If you are a writer and are thinking about writing for a living, very few of us would consider a job as an SEO copy writer or any other type of SEO job. It's extremely competitive and most of them don't know what they are doing. I always tell our clients the proof is in the results. We are on Page 1 of Goolge for Professional SEO Specialist. We actually have 5 listings on page 1 so go figure right?

Okay enough about us let me get back to giving you the information. Considering this option as a career you must consider these points. It is time consuming and technical. I am sure you have all seen these people trying to sell you a video or download for only $99. Great tips on how to get huge amount of traffic or tons of business overnight. In all honesty it doesn't work. I have been at this for years, and take it from me. It takes time, technique and lots of patience. You are competing with millions of businesses online. And I have always asked myself this question, if the person is making so much money online why are they giving you their secret? I don't know about you but I don't feel compelled to share my million dollar making scheme with anyone. Hellooo is it me or does that make sense?

But that is another article. Lets get back to SEO Careers. Yes, they are on the rise, however and there are many different ways that writers can find their own niche when dealing with any type of SEO. This is becoming a very popular job prospect. It's like anything that becomes popular in today's society, you have to become a specialist. For example if you are an MD you can choose to be a GP or you can specialize in one specific realm of medicine. Therefore If you are looking for information on how to cash in on your writing career why not consider SEO. Here is your chance to find out what it takes from someone who has been doing it for over 10 years.

SEO copywriters are copywriters that must have a basic knowledge of writing great copy. However SEO is different, there is a science to making copy read well for humans and search engines alike. SEO by definition is search engine optimized. How this is done is by using keywords that are highly ranked in Google. This is one of the top ways to get organic traffic.

You need to know how to write SEO articles.
Article submission and directory submission in order to drive traffic to a site.
Find the keywords by using a specific tools in Google such as Adwords, Quake or other keyword analysis tools.
Find the most popular terms (once you have used the KEI) that are currently rating high and write your article with those terms in mind.
Do not stuff your articles with the keyword. Use common sense and use good copy writing skills.
Always write the article with a purpose for the reader.
Once you are done then go back through the article and place the keywords no more than 3 times in the text.
Once in the first sentence, then in the middle of the copy and lastly in the last paragraph or last sentence.

Well that was a mouthful, but that's just the beginning. I have written another article that gets more specific about primary, secondary and tertiary keywords. Now if you are looking at SEO careers in coding, most SEO service providers have a working knowledge of the current version of HTML. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. The current version that is available is HTML5. Using hypertext is a way of creating links both to the page in question and links such as trackbacks for articles that someone else is commenting on or tracking.

As a copywriter I have to know how to do this in order to create successful hyperlinks. A basic way of creating a hyperlink is if you are creating a document, you would type in the url address of where you want the reader to go to. If you are using a word processing program, then you would be able to create the link by choosing create hyperlink. You would add a word and link it to the hyperlink so that if any one clicked on the word in blue then they would be taken to the page in question.

Most SEO service providers also know how to write compelling copy for the page in question. Here is where article submission and directory submission comes into play. What are they, you may ask? Article submission is when you submit your articles to both article databases and directories. These articles will have to engage your reader while having a specific message. This is where it gets tricky. You cannot expect your reader to click on the link unless they are truly interested in your message. So keep in mind you won't get every reader to click on your link but if you offer a valuable service at a competitive price eventually you will get the customers. It does however take time. And if you hear from online marketers saying it doesn't then with all due respect they are lying to you.

Lastly I have been asked doesn't Google penalize you for having duplicate content? The answer is "No" you can read it from Google directly. That is not to say you should upload the same article to 100 directories. Rather do what I do, I upload them to all our blogs, then refine each one so it reads different than the other 2 blogs. You would be surprised at how many time my articles have been picked up by other blogger, and article directories. Makes me feel like a star. So if you are looking for a trade and are creative without thinking "inside" the box, then check out SEO Careers.

Why Professional SEO Providers Say Test Your Landing Pages

2008-11-14T09:51:00.002-06:00

When you talk to professional SEO providers about landing pages, you’ll hear many of them extolling the virtues of testing those pages. Why? Why not just build a landing page that works the first time?

First, let’s talk about conventional wisdom, passed down from those professional SEO providers. Conventional wisdom says that your home page shouldn’t be a landing page. Conventional wisdom also suggests that testimonial landing pages work better than other so-called “conversion pages”, and that product pages are one of the top types of landing pages.

Now, let’s talk about reality. The reality is that there’s no telling what type of landing page will work for your specific website. As many of the better professional SEO providers know, what works depends on several factors, including the type of product you sell.

For instance, if you sell a weight-loss product, landing pages that show comparisons have a better possibility of working than just a sales ad with a “Buy Now” button. However, if you really want a landing page that works, you want to look at every aspect of the page, not just what type it is.

Okay, we’ve covered conventional wisdom and reality. Now we’re going to through everything out the window that you’ve ever read about building a “killer” landing page and start from scratch. Instead of wondering whether you should use a comparison, testimonial or feature landing page and constricting yourself to a “type”, ignore typing and build up the page according to your needs.

Landing Page Duties
Landing pages have some unique issues. For one, they ARE the sales process, from beginning to end. The product, service or information on the page has to be strong enough to get the user to convert.

Landing pages also have to capture a potential customer’s attention very quickly. You have approximately five seconds to impress upon the reader why your product, business or information is better than others.

The last issue is that a landing page is your first impression. Generally, it’s not going to be your regular audience that sees this page; the readers will be new visitors. Keep in mind that first impressions are the hardest to change.

Your Goals
Decide what the goal is for the landing page. Are you trying to collect contact information? Sell your product? Talk about your services? Whatever goal you’re going for needs to be the central theme of the landing page and, while all professional SEO providers will talk about content being king (I’ve done so myself many times), you need to think about design, also.

Design
When building your landing page (or looking at one you already have), keep in mind that you want to:

• Show professionalism – First impressions are everything. Make sure the design is sleek, professional and in line with your goal.

• Inspire trust – If you're a member of your local BBB, provide Paypal or are registered with HackerSafe, use these logos on your landing page. Logos take little room, and these specific logos have been proven to inspire trust.

• Keep them on the page – Limit or eliminate your navigation. You don't need links around your website on a landing page; these are only ways for them to leave the page. If they leave the page before conversion, you've lost them.

• Keep it focused – Your ad has a call to action also, so match your landing page with the ad. For instance, if your ad says "The best professional SEO providers money can buy", you want your landing page to say something like "Level343: The Best Professional SEO Providers Money Can Buy." Use the same phrases both the ad and the page.

There are many other tips and tricks, words of wisdom, about landing pages. However, as the professional SEO providers will tell you, no amount of wisdom can guarantee a working landing page. Test first!

…And the Great Debate Continues: SEO Propaganda

2008-11-13T10:43:00.000-06:00

SEO, in part, is theory, whether an SEO specialist will admit it or not. Matt Cutts, in an interview awhile back, commented that Google has so many algorithms out there, constantly being tested and redesigned, that they can’t possibly know what works and what doesn’t. Well, I’ll add “not exactly” to that. They know some, but refuse to give a wink and a nudge.

Like any theory, there has always been an argument between SEO specialists about what works, what doesn’t, what are “best practices” and what’s black hat. However, what many laymen don’t know is that there are also arguments over whether SEO is a viable, working theory, or crap. If you use the right search terms, you’ll come across a whole bunch of “propaganda”, pushed from both sides of the fence.

For instance, early this year, a gentleman by the name of Eoghan McCabe wrote a blog entitled “SEO is Bullshit”, a short little rant about how he felt. A few weeks later, he clarified in “SEO is Still Bullshit”, suggesting that SEO is nothing but a list of “best practices” for any website design. In other words, if we all built our websites like we’re supposed to in the first place, we’d automatically rise on the search engines, so SEO isn’t needed. It took two months for the furor to die down.

So what’s the truth? IS SEO just a scam? Are we SEO specialists sitting on our butts, pushing one or two buttons and then collecting your money? Oh, contraire, Mr. McCabe.

Website design “best practices” only go so far. You take two websites, A and B, competing for a search term with the same amount of usability, clean design, etc. and add SEO “theory” to site B. Will the search engines register both? Of course, because that’s part of website design and deployment, but they won’t have the same PageRank or search engine ranking. Unless site A is just “so absolutely fabulous” that everyone decides they must link to it, site B will rank higher on the list. That’s not theory, that’s fact.

Website owners expect to be listed on the search engines; they don’t ask, “Are we on the search engines?” They’re interested in placement, so they ask, “Where are we on the search engines?”

This is where we SEO specialists come in and really go to work. Granted, design practices call for some of the same coding that we do. Take headers, for instance. Whether web design or SEO, it’s considered best practice to use a relevant title for the header.

However, keywords are not part of design practices. It’s strictly SEO. So is on-page optimization, link building and various other SEO methods. Sorry, Mr. McCabe, your argument doesn’t hold water.

What a true SEO specialist does points the search engines towards the page so the readers can find it, and makes the page relevant to the user so they stay. Contrary to the opinion of some, SEO does not favor search engines over users; SEO doesn’t play favorites.

We, as SEO specialists, continually walk a fine line for our clients between getting them noticed by the search engines and catch their users’ interests. And it is a fine line. Too many keywords, a missed line on coding, incorrect title tags or bad linking, and the visitor and Google both dismiss the website.

So, for those of you that lean to the dark side, where SEO is crap, keep that in mind next time you do a search. Check out the top websites’ source page and see if they have SEO. You’ll be surprised at the results, and we SEO specialists will be proven “helpful” once again

Introduction to Digital Photography

2008-10-17T18:21:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, digital photography has been used since the early 1980’s when it was first introduced in the astronomy profession. Nowadays, it has become the industry standard with both amateur and professional photographers from around the world. Digital photography, which is the art of manipulating photographs in bit map form through the use of a computer, allows for the flexibility and creativity that is at the heart of the photography industry. Keep in mind however, that using digital images will not turn an amateur photographer into a pro or a poor photo into a good one. It is simply one more creative tool that makes up a photographers bag of tricks.

Digital photography allows for the precise refinement of many aspects of a photograph. This includes color, detail, tone, retouching and many other photograph dynamics. Digital photography does not allow photographers to be sloppy or inpatient with their pictures, as lighting cannot be adequately altered by this or any computer tool.

Digital photography

Has become the medium of choice among photographers for several reasons. Not only is digital photography more flexible and have considerably more editing capabilities, but it is more cost effective than film photography. With digital photography your costs virtually stop after you purchase your initial equipment. On the contrary, with film photography, you have the recurrent costs of film and chemical processing materials. The only drawbacks to digital photography are that you will need access to electrical outlets and the equipment is generally more sensitive to cold and moist environments. Photographers that are going to invest in digital photography equipment should first analyze the environments in which they will be taking most of their pictures to determine if an SLR camera is a better investment than a DSLR version.

Photographers who make a living in the advertising, news and entertainment businesses have particularly embraced the idea of digital photography. Digital photography not only allows for greater flexibility and creativity, but also for enhancements, storage, printing and transmission options that are not available with any other photography medium.

Fashion Photography

Fashion photography refers to the photography of clothing and other fashion items. It is most commonly utilized for advertising, magazines and other print related materials.
Today, fashion and beauty is a $150 billion dollar industry. A photographer who both specializes in and is good at fashion photography has an unlimited income potential in today’s market.

Model Photography

Model photography is different from fashion photography in that the center of attention is not the clothing or accessories but the model themselves. Model photographers create portfolio, comp cards and other marketing materials for commercial, fashion and glamour models. In order to be successful at model photography it is imperative that the photographer be able to locate settings and backgrounds that are pleasing to the eye and complimenting to the model.

If you are looking for an agency that specializes in digital photography in the fashion and glamour modeling industry, our agency offers the best services in the business at locations that will take your breath away. Click here for information about all of the services available at XYZ.

Introduction to Modeling

2008-10-17T18:19:00.001-05:00

If you are an aspiring model, it is important that you thoroughly understand the industry prior to signing up with an agency. For example, if you are striving to become a fashion model, the criteria is not going to be the same as someone who is pursuing a career as a bikini fitness model or glamour model. Moreover, you should not only be familiar with the industry standards, but with investment expectations and location requirements as well.

Industry Divisions

What kind of model do you want to become? There are many kinds of models in the industry today, however if you want to make a living at it, there are really only two divisions to consider, fashion models and glamour models.

The Fashion Model

Fashion models, otherwise known as editorial fashion models, represent the strictest set of physical criteria in the business. Fashion models are known for being beautiful or interesting, none of which are necessarily pretty. Becoming a fashion model gives you the opportunity to appear on some of the nation’s top magazines and national ad campaigns. Anyone who is considered a “supermodel” represents this division of the modeling industry.

The Glamour Model

Glamour models are NOT the models you see on the cover of Glamour magazine, those are fashion models. Unlike fashion models, glamour models must be pretty and highly attractive. When you see hot models in swimsuits, nude exotic models and bikini fitness models, they are all representative of glamour models. There are not strict guidelines to becoming a glamour model. Any highly attractive woman with a hot body qualifies automatically.

In order to make a living as a glamour model, you will generally have to flaunt your body and pose nude for various male oriented magazines, events and artists. Glamour models are most commonly represented by photographers and self-promotion techniques.

Location, Location, Location

We have all heard the saying “location, location, location”, and if you are considering a career in the modeling industry this saying is perhaps more important than anything else. If you do not live, or refuse to move to a major metropolitan area such as New York City, Los Angeles or Chicago, the chances of your success, particularly as a fashion model are nil. There is some room for flexibility, especially for glamour models thanks to the use of the internet, but your best shot at fame and fortune in this line of work will always reside in the fashion and entertainment capitals of this country.

Investment Expectations

If you want to create a name for yourself, it is going to take time, effort and money, just like any other business. There are several things you will need not only to get started, but to promote yourself along the way. This includes but is not limited to pictures, comp cards and headshots, money to relocate if necessary, and money for advertising (usually paid to an agency on a per year fee basis). It is also important that models acquire makeup and hair styling skills and purchase the necessary materials to create the look that is needed for casting calls and auditions.

If you are an aspiring glamour model, bikini fitness model or a nude exotic model, our agency may have opportunities for you. Please contact us today for agency information.

Power, politics, and the chicken

2008-10-17T12:19:00.004-05:00

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!
JOHN MC CAIN: My friends; that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialog with all the chickens on the other side of the road.
HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.
GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.
DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?
COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.
BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of crossing?
AL GORE: I invented the chicken.
JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.
AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.
DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his
current problems before adding new problems.
OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.
NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.
PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.
MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmers Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.
DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.
ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.
JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.
GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.
BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heartwarming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.
ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.
JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads
together, in peace.
BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never reboot.
ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?
COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

You don't know Jack Schitt!'

2008-10-15T06:51:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it's good to just have a good laugh!! enjoy
For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt? We find ourselves at a loss when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt!'

Well, thanks to my friends generous genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way. Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt. Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, married O. Schitt, the owner oNeedeep N. Schitt, Inc. They had one son, Jack.

In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt. The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt..
Against her parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout.
After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock.

Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, and they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt.

Two of the other six children, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt, were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Horse.

Bull S c hi tt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt. Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt,' you can correct them.
Sincerely,
Crock O.
Schitt

Say No! to SEO – Standards, That Is

2008-10-12T11:21:00.001-05:00

"SEO standards" are a set of SEO best practices and risk ratings; the idea of having SEO standards is ludicrous and out-dated. Professional SEO services that try to follow these supposed standards are handing their business over to the competition. If everyone follows these standards, there'd be no way for any clients to reach the top because all clients would be receiving the same set of coding, content, etc as everybody else. And so on, and so forth ad nauseam.

Oh, and my favorite – black hatters and grey hatters are just those looking for an "extra edge"; white hatters are low risk takers, not willing to put their butts on the line for results.

Recently, I read an article about SEO risk factors vs. SEO standards. The author's belief is that professional SEO services that comply with a set of standards will lose their competitive edge. "If everyone does the same thing, it's like being the SEO version of an amputee." What a wonderful argument supporting black hat tactics.

For those that are new to SEO, let me point out that SEO is a highly competitive business, and it does help to have a "little extra" in your bag. However, this little extra doesn't have to include keyword spamming or any number of questionable practices.

Let's look at risk taking, shall we? Professional SEO services that follow a set of standards may spend months on one project. We are as susceptible to mistakes and errors as the next person, and those mistakes can cost us. There are times when one mistake, by one person, can lose us a client.

So, after several months of working with the client, coding, research, etc, that one mistake could cost us everything. In other words, being an SEO specialist – especially if you run your own company – is high risk in and of itself. There is never any guarantee that your client will hit number one, and believe me, most clients hire professional SEO services with just that goal in mind.

Is keyword spamming, link-farming and the like necessary to reach that first page of search engine results? No. In my mind, the argument at the beginning of this article against professional SEO services using a set of standards is a way of explaining away laziness.

It is definitely more time consuming to check the links for PR value, run the KEIs and competitor analysis, etc than to build a page full of keywords. It takes dedication and consistency for a "standardized" long-term campaign than to use white on white keywords or link-farming or other "questionable practices".

However, while black hat tactics might show more quickly, they put the customer at risk. White hat tactics are slow to evolve, hence the dedication and consistency, but the customers don't have to worry about being penalized.

The author ends his rant with "Deal with dirty SEOs like SEOs. If you don't like them, outrank them."

To that I respond – I have.
Black hatters can brag all they want about "high-risk" campaigns, but their clients deal with that risk and receive the consequences, not them. White hat professional SEO services understand that ultimately, it's the client who will rise or fall on our merits – it's a point of pride and our business to give them our best, as well as our privilege.